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Global AI Summit Brings Together Experts, Decision-Makers in Riyadh

A Saudi woman tries out one of the new technologies at the Global AI Summit in 2022. (SPA)
A Saudi woman tries out one of the new technologies at the Global AI Summit in 2022. (SPA)
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Global AI Summit Brings Together Experts, Decision-Makers in Riyadh

A Saudi woman tries out one of the new technologies at the Global AI Summit in 2022. (SPA)
A Saudi woman tries out one of the new technologies at the Global AI Summit in 2022. (SPA)

The Global AI (GAIN) Summit will kick off in Riyadh on Tuesday under the patronage of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).

The summit, organized by SDAIA, will feature 456 speakers from 100 countries and is expected to draw 32,000 attendees. Experts said the event will focus on the regulation and ethics of AI, with hopes of advancing “responsible AI.”

Mark Minevich, an American expert the President of Going Global Ventures, member of board of directors of Intentional Data Centers Authority and Sr Fellow of US Council on Competitiveness, Strategic Advisor Mayfield Venture Capital, told Asharq Al-Awsat that GAIN will be a key event for launching AI-driven solutions and supporting economic and sustainable development.

Minevich, who has authored “Our Planet Powered by AI,” said the third edition of the summit is crucial as it will gather AI leaders to discuss important topics. He praised Saudi Arabia’s focus on “AI for Humanity” and its advancements in multi-modal AI, AI-supported healthcare, and smart city projects like NEOM.

At the summit, Minevich will stress the importance of AI governance, innovation, and strategic deployment. He noted that the event provides a global platform to explore how institutions can use AI responsibly while adhering to ethical and regulatory standards.

He also highlighted that Saudi Arabia’s efforts in AI, including its focus on AI talent and open-source tools, are positioning it as a leader in the field. These initiatives are expected to attract new investments and partnerships, contributing to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals.

He noted that Saudi Arabia’s use of AI in energy and sustainability are making it a key hub for foreign investment. He expects the summit to boost efforts in economic diversification.

He also predicted that AI will create high-skill jobs and advance sectors like healthcare and finance. These initiatives, aligned with Vision 2030, will improve Saudi Arabia’s global competitiveness and drive innovation in AI industries.

Sheikh Abdullah Zaid Al-Meleihi, chairman of Al-Ramez International Group and CEO of its subsidiary, Saudi Excellence Co., told Asharq Al-Awsat that the GAIN Summit will set up a global platform to show Saudi Arabia’s commitment to using AI for economic diversification and tech leadership.

He viewed the summit as a major step in Saudi Arabia’s goal to lead in AI. The event will highlight the Kingdom’s progress in AI infrastructure, innovation, and its digital ecosystem aligned with Vision 2030.

Key topics will include AI integration in projects like NEOM, improvements in data infrastructure, and AI advancements in healthcare, energy, and urban development.

Al-Meleihi noted that a key challenge is meeting the demand for scalable infrastructure while ensuring energy efficiency. He expected the summit to create partnerships that drive innovation in various sectors and support Vision 2030 goals by promoting economic diversification and technological leadership.

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US Treasury Targets Russia's Gazprombank with New Sanctions

FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
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US Treasury Targets Russia's Gazprombank with New Sanctions

FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

The United States imposed new sanctions on Russia's Gazprombank on Thursday, the Treasury Department said, as President Joe Biden steps up actions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine before he leaves office in January.
The move, which wields the department's most powerful sanctions tool, effectively kicks Gazprombank out of the US banking system, bans its trade with Americans and freezes its US assets, Reuters reported.
Gazprombank is one of Russia's largest banks and is partially owned by Kremlin-owned gas company Gazprom. Since Russia's invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has been urging the US to impose more sanctions on the bank, which receives payments for natural gas from Gazprom's customers in Europe.
The fresh sanctions come days after the Biden administration allowed Kyiv to use US ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory. On Tuesday, Ukraine fired the weapons, the longest range missiles Washington has supplied for such attacks on Russia, on the war's 1,000th day.
The Treasury also imposed sanctions on 50 small-to-medium Russian banks to curtail the country's connections to the international financial system and prevent it from abusing it to pay for technology and equipment needed for the war. It warned that foreign financial institutions that maintain correspondent relationships with the targeted banks "entails significant sanctions risk."
"This sweeping action will make it harder for the Kremlin to evade US sanctions and fund and equip its military," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. "We will continue to take decisive steps against any financial channels Russia uses to support its illegal and unprovoked war in Ukraine."
Gazprombank said Washington's latest move would not affect its operations. The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
Along with the sanctions, Treasury also issued two new general licenses authorizing US entities to wind down transactions involving Gazprombank, among other financial institutions, and to take steps to divest from debt or equity issued by Gazprombank.
Gazprombank is a conduit for Russia to purchase military materiel in its war against Ukraine, the Treasury said. The Russian government also uses the bank to pay its soldiers, including for combat bonuses, and to compensate the families of its soldiers killed in the war.
The administration believes the new sanctions improve Ukraine's position on the battlefield and ability to achieve a just peace, a source familiar with the matter said.
COLLATERAL IMPACT
While Gazprombank has been on the administration's radar for years, it has been seen as a last resort because of its focus on energy and the desire to avoid collateral impact on Europe, a Washington-based trade lawyer said.
"I think that the current administration is trying to put as much pressure and add as many sanctions as possible prior to January 20th to make it harder for the next administration to unwind," said the lawyer, Douglas Jacobson.
Officials in Slovakia and Hungary said they were studying the impacts of the new US sanctions.
Trump would have the power to remove the sanctions, which were imposed under an executive order by Biden, if he wants to take a different stance, Jacobson said.
After Russia's invasion in 2022, the Treasury placed debt and equity restrictions on 13 Russian firms, including Gazprombank, Sberbank and the Russian Agricultural Bank.
The US Treasury has also worked to provide Ukraine with funds from windfall proceeds of frozen Russian assets.