Dr. Esam bin Abdullah Al-Wagait, Director of the National Information Center (NIC) at the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), underscored the transformative global role of data- and AI-driven digital transformation during his remarks at the closing conference of the GREAT FUTURES initiative, held alongside the Saudi-UK Strategic Partnership Council’s fifth meeting.
Dr. Al-Wagait emphasized that AI and data technologies are reshaping economies, societies, and governments worldwide by erasing borders, driving innovation, and transforming daily life. He highlighted “super apps” as a defining example, citing Saudi Arabia’s Tawakkalna platform, which now serves over 34 million users with more than 1,000 services from 140+ providers. He also pointed to the Absher platform, which significantly cut government office congestion while saving around 560 million sheets of paper and reducing 500 million kilograms of carbon emissions between 2018 and 2020 — generating annual savings exceeding SAR17 billion.
SDAIA has also launched the National Strategy for Data and AI as part of Vision 2030, aiming to position the Kingdom as a global leader in AI economies. Saudi Arabia’s rapid progress is evident in the 2024 Open Data Inventory (ODIN) by Open Data Watch, where the Kingdom advanced 28 places to rank 41st globally and climbed to 9th among G20 nations.
Dr. Al-Wagait further stressed the importance of international cooperation in tackling challenges such as AI governance, cybersecurity, data privacy, and global supply-chain risks. He noted that Saudi Arabia has taken a leadership role by establishing the International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) in Riyadh under UNESCO’s auspices as a Category 2 Center.
