Saudi Arabia made significant advancements in data and AI in 2024, positioning itself as one of the global leaders in the field. Driven by the efforts of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the Kingdom has adopted several policies and regulations that continue to support its rise in global indicators.
These include adopting policies and regulations ensuring the ethical use of AI technologies, providing capabilities related to data and foresight, supporting continuous innovation and developing national expertise. These efforts aim to position Saudi Arabia as a global leader among data- and AI-driven economies.
Saudi Arabia leads global AI and data shift
Saudi Arabia, represented by SDAIA, has achieved first place globally in several areas, including the Government Strategy for AI Pillar, the Open Government Data Index (OGDI), the number of medals won at the World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY) and the ISO/IEC 42001 certification for AI management systems.
Regionally, it ranked first in the E-Government Development Index (EGDI) and secured third place globally in the OECD AI Policy Observatory. Saudi Arabia also ranked fourth globally in the Online Services Index (OSI) and seventh in the E-Participation Index (EPI). Additionally, the Kingdom ranked first in the Middle East and 14th globally in the Global AI Index.
Regarding awards and certifications, SDAIA achieved first place in the Innovation category last year, outperforming 15 government entities in the Technology, Transport and Media Group within the 2024 Digital Transformation Measurement Index.
It also received several accolades, including six ISO certifications in AI management systems, information security, and excellence in cloud services, and two ISO certifications for excellence in information security management and privacy information management systems.
Key projects and initiatives
SDAIA stood out in several pioneering digital projects, most notably the “ALLaM” model, which was featured on IBM’s Watsonx platform as one of the world’s best generative models in the Arabic language. The total Arabic words collected to train the model exceeded 385 billion, including 55 billion words gathered last year alone. “ALLaM” has also contributed to enhancing national security by localizing significant language model technologies, building the enablers required to operate technical infrastructure, supporting Arabic content and refining national capabilities.
In collaboration with its partners, SDAIA also developed “EYENAI,” a pioneering medical project that utilizes AI solutions to provide advanced analytics and smart algorithms for the early detection and diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. Over the past 12 months, this project has helped diagnose more than 846 patients, showcasing the transformative power of AI in driving positive social change.
Government’s digital shift
Through the unified national access system (Nafath), SDAIA also provided a unified access solution for government entities, saving over SAR2 billion. This included savings of SAR220 million by reducing reliance on self-service devices, SAR640 million by minimizing dependence on human resources and offering electronic services, and SAR800 million for individuals through a biometric verification system.
Through the comprehensive national application “Tawakkalna,” SDAIA has also provided a complete digital experience that has improved the quality of life for citizens, residents, and visitors to Saudi Arabia. The application offers over 350 electronic services from 253 beneficiary entities, enabling users to access them easily. Tawakkalna has achieved one billion transactions for viewing cards and documents, with over 336 million transactions occurring in 2024 alone.
SDAIA has also continued its efforts to support digital transformation through the ongoing development and tangible positive impact of the National Data Bank (NDB). The NDB has contributed to unifying efforts and reducing capital and operational expenses for data exchange between entities.
SDAIA also provided technical support for the “Ehsan” platform, which has enhanced the reliability and transparency of charitable and developmental work, fostering national belonging and instilling humanitarian values within the community.
The “Deem” government cloud has also achieved financial savings exceeding SAR5.3 billion, offering highly reliable, flexible and efficient technological assets.
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Saudi Arabia builds strong data and AI regulatory environment
As part of regulating the use of data and AI, Saudi Arabia’s SDAIA has made significant efforts to build a regulatory environment that ensures the optimal use of data and AI. It has worked on organizing the data and AI sectors by establishing policies, standards and regulations for their handling, which have been disseminated to relevant government and non-government entities.
The authority has raised public awareness about the Personal Data Protection Law, which aims to protect personal data, maintain privacy, establish rules for processing personal data, enhance trust in electronic transactions and reduce negative practices related to personal data processing.
It has also developed a set of regulatory tools, rules and guidelines to clarify the handling of advanced technologies. These include seven regulatory tools, such as: AI Ethics Framework, Generative AI Guidelines for Government Public, Generative AI Guidelines for Government Entities, Deepfake Guidelines, AI Adoption Framework, the Saudi Academic Framework for AI Qualifications and the National Occupational Standard Framework.
SDAIA has also issued a series of policies to establish the regulatory framework and general rules for data management and the use of AI tools in the Kingdom. These include the Data Classification Policy, Open Data Policy, Data Sharing Policy, Freedom of Information Policy and the guidelines for preparing and developing privacy policies. These policies define the standards and procedures to be followed for optimal data and AI usage, ensuring compliance with laws and ethics and regulating data as a national asset.
