SDAIA Presents Saudi Endeavors to Build Human Capacities at UN Session on AI

New York, September 25, 2024, SPA -- The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) Tuesday took part in a dialogue session on developing AI capabilities, held on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
SDAIA's General Manager of Strategic Partnerships Rehab Alarfaj presented the Kingdom's endeavors in the field of data and AI, especially those directed at building national human capacities, but also its international contribution to the field.
Alarfaj said that SDAIA's effort to build national capacities lines up strategically with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with focus on the fourth goal, which involves quality education.
Working toward meeting this goal, she said, the Kingdom organized the National Olympiad for Programming and AI (ATHKA Olympiad), in which more than 260,000 students from middle and high school participated, as well as the first International AI Olympiad, which was organized by SDAIA in cooperation with the International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) and the International Research Center on Artificial Intelligence under UNESCO auspices, in which 25 countries took part.
Alarfaj added that the Kingdom’s endeavors also align with the fifth UN Sustainable Development Goal, regarding gender equality, part of which was SDAIA’s organizing the Elevate program to train more than 25,000 women worldwide in the field of AI.
Alarfaj said that building capacity through training programs is essential to raising awareness among policymakers and professionals in the field of data and AI, and providing technical assistance to developing countries, stressing the importance of adopting the ethics concerning the use of AI, which the Kingdom was among the first to embrace.
She pointed out that the initiatives carried out by the Kingdom in the field of data and AI have earned international recognition. SDAIA's National Data Bank, which simplifies data sharing domestically, and Estishraf, an AI-powered platform that supports government decision-making, were honored with the 2024 WSIS Prizes.
Alarfaj said that ICAIRE is carrying out regional and global initiatives in the field of AI, including supporting AI research and development, enhancing awareness and communication about AI ethics, coordinating cooperation in developing policies related to AI, and supporting capacity-building efforts in the field.
-- SPA