King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah has hosted a two-day forum examining the integration of artificial intelligence into library and knowledge management systems, framing the shift as a component of Saudi Arabia’s broader Vision 2030 knowledge economy agenda.
The event, held at the King Faisal Convention Center, brought together 20 speakers across six panel sessions alongside virtual sessions, workshops and a technology exhibition. Discussions addressed AI governance in academic institutions, digital preservation of cultural heritage and the development of AI literacy among library and information professionals.
A notable practical outcome of the forum was the launch of the ScienceDirect full-text database at the university, providing access to over 23 million articles and book chapters from approximately 3,000 scientific journals and more than 48,000 books.
The forum also presented the Elsevier Award for published research, with Prof. Abdullah Baabdullah receiving the Research Impact Award, Abrar Al-Sufyani named Best Emerging Researcher, and Prof. Zuhair Natto awarded for Academic Excellence.
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy places the development of a knowledge-based economy and expansion of research output among its core non-oil diversification targets, with higher education institutions increasingly expected to demonstrate measurable progress on digital transformation benchmarks.
