Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have signed an agreement to collaborate on initiatives aimed at supporting and strengthening efforts to optimize the benefits of AI technologies and applications for sustainable development.

 

Under the MoU, Saudi Arabia will support the Union in developing projects, activities and initiatives that will, among other things, aim to facilitate greater multi-stakeholder participation, international cooperation, and knowledge sharing to accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

 

This could potentially include developing initiatives such as an “AI Readiness Landscape Framework” that would explore and highlight country responses, progress and best practices related to AI policy frameworks, stated Dr Abdullah Bin Sharaf Alghamdi, president of SDAIA, afer signing the deal with Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of ITU, in a virtual ceremony as part of the Global AI Summit 2020..  

 

“Around the world, nations have recognized the transformative potential of AI and are preparing themselves to harness the benefit of AI to support their development strategies and goals,” said Alghamdi.

 

"With the signing of this MoU, Saudi Arabia intends to support the Union to design activities that will help strengthen global efforts to use AI technologies for the advancement of sustainable development and growth," he noted. 

 

Saudi Arabia is supporting ITU in this space as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to become a world leader in AI innovation and in advancing knowledge and research into the beneficial use of AI. 

 

SDAIA was founded in 2019 as a world-class governance body to drive Saudi Arabia’s AI programs and ecosystem, and to lead global innovation and enable economic development powered by AI.

 

Dr Al Ghamdi said the entity was set up to help Saudi Arabia become a global leader in AI. 

 

"Through this partnership we will support the sharing of knowledge and experience among all nations, to further the use of AI for the benefit of humanity," he added.

 

Zhao said AI was being used to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

 

“With only 10 years left to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, ITU looks forward to working with SDAIA to develop projects and initiatives that can accelerate progress toward the SDGs and promote AI as a force for good ─ for humanity and the planet,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service