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Saudi SDAIA Signs MoU with IBM to Establish AI Center of Excellence 

The MoU aims to establish a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies, focusing on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to the best global standards and governance frameworks. (SPA)
The MoU aims to establish a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies, focusing on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to the best global standards and governance frameworks. (SPA)
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Saudi SDAIA Signs MoU with IBM to Establish AI Center of Excellence 

The MoU aims to establish a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies, focusing on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to the best global standards and governance frameworks. (SPA)
The MoU aims to establish a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies, focusing on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to the best global standards and governance frameworks. (SPA)

The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) signed on Tuesday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the global company IBM during the third Global AI Summit (GAIN) underway in Riyadh.

CEO of the National Center for AI Dr. Yaser bin Mohammed Al-Onaizan, representing SDAIA, and the General Manager of IBM Saudi Arabia, Fahad Alanazi, finalized the agreement.

The MoU aims to establish a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies, focusing on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to the best global standards and governance frameworks.

It also includes the launch of the ALLaM Challenge, which seeks to develop innovative solutions and stimulate innovation by developing and enhancing large language models (LLM) in Arabic using the ALLaM model.

This partnership is expected to contribute to the exchange of expertise and enhancement of national capabilities, supporting Saudi Vision 2030 goals of building a knowledge-based society and reinforcing the Kingdom's position as a global hub for advanced technologies.

This collaboration is part of SDAIA's efforts to position the ALLaM model as the leading generative Arabic model on global platforms, according to the Arabic MMLU benchmark. This initiative aims to empower developers and users of Arabic-language AI solutions in the Kingdom and worldwide.

SDAIA and IBM have previously announced that ALLaM will be hosted on the IBM Watsonx platform and the Saudi government cloud "DEEM". This initiative will provide entities with advanced and unique services, contributing to the advancement of technological innovation in the region.

SDAIA and IBM's collaboration also includes establishing a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies and launching the ALLaM Challenge, which aims to discover exceptional talents and expertise in AI.

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Australia Plans Social Media Minimum Age Limit, Angering Youth Digital Advocates 

Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram apps are seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken, July 13, 2021. (Reuters)
Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram apps are seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken, July 13, 2021. (Reuters)
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Australia Plans Social Media Minimum Age Limit, Angering Youth Digital Advocates 

Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram apps are seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken, July 13, 2021. (Reuters)
Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram apps are seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken, July 13, 2021. (Reuters)

Australia plans to set a minimum age limit for children to use social media citing concerns about mental and physical health, sparking a backlash from digital rights advocates who warn the measure could drive dangerous online activity underground.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his center-left government would run an age verification trial before introducing age minimum laws for social media this year.

Albanese didn't specify an age but said it would likely be between 14 and 16.

"I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts," Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

"We want them to have real experiences with real people because we know that social media is causing social harm," he added.

The law would put Australia among the first countries in the world to impose an age restriction on social media. Previous attempts, including by the European Union, have failed following complaints about reducing the online rights of minors.

Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, which has a self-imposed minimum age of 13, said it wanted to empower young people to benefit from its platforms and equip parents with the tools to support them "instead of just cutting off access".

YouTube owner Alphabet did not respond to a request for comment and TikTok were not immediately available for comment.

Australia has one of the world's most online populations with four-fifths of its 26 million people on social media, according to tech industry figures. Three quarters of Australians aged 12 to 17 had used YouTube or Instagram, a 2023 University of Sydney study found.

Albanese announced the age restriction plan against the backdrop of a parliamentary inquiry into social media's effects on society, which has heard sometimes emotional testimony of poor mental health impacts on teenagers.

But the inquiry has also heard concerns about whether a lower age limit could be enforced and, if it is, whether it would inadvertently harm younger people by encouraging them to hide their online activity.

"This knee-jerk move ... threatens to create serious harm by excluding young people from meaningful, healthy participation in the digital world, potentially driving them to lower quality online spaces," said Daniel Angus, director of the Queensland University of Technology Digital Media Research Center.

Australia's own internet regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, warned in a June submission to the inquiry that "restriction-based approaches may limit young people's access to critical support" and push them to "less regulated non-mainstream services".

The commissioner said in a statement on Tuesday it would "continue working with stakeholders across government and the community to further refine Australia's approach to online harms" which can "threaten safety across a range of platforms at any age, both before and after the mid-teen years".