SDAIA President Unveils 'State of AI in Saudi Arabia' Report

The report, titled "The State of AI in Saudi Arabia," examines the development of AI technologies in the country over the past five years (2019-2023). SPA
The report, titled "The State of AI in Saudi Arabia," examines the development of AI technologies in the country over the past five years (2019-2023). SPA
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SDAIA President Unveils 'State of AI in Saudi Arabia' Report

The report, titled "The State of AI in Saudi Arabia," examines the development of AI technologies in the country over the past five years (2019-2023). SPA
The report, titled "The State of AI in Saudi Arabia," examines the development of AI technologies in the country over the past five years (2019-2023). SPA

President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi has unveiled a report detailing the Kingdom's advancements in AI.

The report, titled "The State of AI in Saudi Arabia," examines the development of AI technologies in the country over the past five years (2019-2023). It highlights Saudi Arabia's efforts in the field, which have garnered international recognition.

The report, which was unveiled during a press conference at the Global AI Summit (GAIN Summit), outlines seven key pillars that underpin Saudi Arabia's progress: policies and regulations, investment, infrastructure, data, talent and human capabilities, research and innovation, and adoption.

It emphasizes SDAIA's role in leading the nation's digital transformation and advancing the national data and AI agenda. This includes promoting AI adoption across government entities, raising public awareness, developing a robust strategy, and fostering the utilization of data and AI technologies throughout the Kingdom.

The report reflects SDAIA's commitment to fostering data-driven capabilities and continuous innovation in the field of AI. It aims to solidify Saudi Arabia's position as a leader amongst data-driven and AI-powered economies of the future.

The report also serves as a valuable resource for understanding the latest global trends in AI and showcasing Saudi Arabia's achievements in raising awareness and educating society on the transformative potential of AI in serving humanity.



Google Proposes Fresh Tweaks to Search Results in Europe

The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. (Reuters)
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Google Proposes Fresh Tweaks to Search Results in Europe

The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. (Reuters)

Google has proposed more changes to its search results in Europe after some smaller rivals complained about lower traffic to their sites resulting from previous tweaks by the Alphabet unit and as EU antitrust regulators consider levying charges against the company under new EU tech rules.

Under the Digital Markets Act, Google is prohibited from favoring its products and services on its platform. The Act kicked in last year and is aimed at reining in the power of Big Tech.

The world's most popular internet search engine has since then tried to address conflicting demands from price-comparison sites, hotels, airlines and small retailers, among others. The latter three groups said their direct booking clicks have fallen by 30% due to recent Google changes.

"We have therefore proposed more changes to our European search results to try to accommodate these requests, while still meeting the goals set by the DMA," Google's legal director, Oliver Bethell, said in a blog post on Tuesday.

Changes include introducing expanded and equally formatted units allowing users to choose between comparison sites and supplier websites, new formats letting rivals show prices and pictures on their websites as well as new ad units for comparison sites.

"We think the latest proposal is the right way to balance the difficult trade-offs that the DMA involves," Bethell said.

For its search results in Germany, Belgium and Estonia, Google also plans to remove the map showing the location of hotels and the results beneath the map, similar to its old "ten blue links" format from years ago, as part of a short test to gauge users' interest.

"We're very reluctant to take this step, as removing helpful features does not benefit consumers or businesses in Europe," Bethell said.

Google has been in the European Commission's crosshairs since March. DMA violations can cost companies as much as 10% of their annual global turnover.