Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority “SDAIA”, affirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is considered an international model to be emulated in the responsible and ethical field of artificial intelligence. The Kingdom undertakes several national efforts in this regard, including the establishment of an international center for research and ethics of artificial intelligence in Riyadh.
Soon, the national framework for the ethics of artificial intelligence will be celebrated in Geneva during the World Summit on the Information Society, reflecting the commitment and interest of the Kingdom in applying these ethics at the global level.
Today, His Excellency delivered a speech during the opening session of the international consultations on the global governance of artificial intelligence, organized by “SDAIA” in cooperation with the United Nations’ Advisory Board on Artificial Intelligence and ISESCO. The Director-General of ISESCO and several experts in artificial intelligence governance attended the meeting at the headquarters of the authority in Riyadh.
Dr. Al-Ghamdi welcomed the high-level members of the Advisory Board on Artificial Intelligence from all stakeholders announced by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last year to discuss issues of international governance in artificial intelligence. He noted that this meeting marks the beginning of the third edition of the World Artificial Intelligence Summit, scheduled to be held in Riyadh in September.
As we progress in our ambitious initiatives in ethical artificial intelligence, we draw inspiration from the words of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who called on dreamers, creators, investors, and opinion leaders to join in achieving this ambition in the Kingdom. It is worth mentioning that this opportunity can be utilized to build a prosperous future and establish an international framework for the governance of artificial intelligence fairly and effectively.
His Excellency added that the World Artificial Intelligence Summit serves as an international platform that brings together leaders and experts in artificial intelligence from around the world to develop plans for the future of artificial intelligence. He emphasized that this event is an important step towards defining standards for artificial intelligence governance, as it hosts one of the largest international consultation sessions in cooperation with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, which includes experts from 53 countries to exchange views on the preliminary report of the Advisory Board on international governance of artificial intelligence.
He stated that artificial intelligence poses complex challenges that significantly affect our security, privacy, work, and cultural values. Therefore, governments, companies, and international organizations are working together to raise awareness and develop a strong framework for the governance of artificial intelligence, reaffirming the Kingdom’s commitment to harness the power of artificial intelligence responsibly and ethically.
Dr. Salem Al-Malik, Director-General of ISESCO, affirmed that artificial intelligence is our future and not just a possibility but a reality that we must confront. He highlighted the importance of taking a proactive and integrated approach to manage this transformation, as artificial intelligence has become ubiquitous, with 77% of the devices we use containing AI technology.
With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence technologies, we face complex ethical, legal, and social challenges. This makes the need for effective governance of artificial intelligence urgent. ISESCO integrates artificial intelligence easily into its strategies and executive programs in all member countries, considering the strategic, governance, and ethical aspects related to artificial intelligence to benefit all member countries.
He called for taking advantage of the opportunity to hold a consultation session to reaffirm everyone’s commitment to ensuring that artificial intelligence is not just a means of change but must be a tool for empowering and advancing future generations.
Members of the United Nations Advisory Board, the Director-General of ISESCO, officials responsible for data and artificial intelligence governance, experts from leading companies in artificial intelligence and technology, and interested parties from different countries around the world participated in the international consultation session.
The participants discussed the report presented by the United Nations on the governance of artificial intelligence, and their discussions showed their desire to enhance dialogue and interaction among the parties concerned with this issue to ensure that the policies and measures taken reflect the needs and aspirations of the international community in the field of artificial intelligence.
The consultation session expanded to enhance a comprehensive dialogue on integrating artificial intelligence into society, emphasizing the importance of supporting policies with the latest research and practical insights. Various topics were discussed, such as the educational gap and skills in
The topics related to exploring opportunities and the enabling factors in dealing with the challenges and obstacles facing the progress of ethical artificial intelligence were discussed during the accompanying discussion sessions of the advisory meeting, exchanging views on the current landscape of rapidly evolving artificial intelligence.
The consultation session is considered one of the international initiatives managed by “Sadaaya“; to enhance the position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the field of data and artificial intelligence, following its announcement to host the Global AI Summit in its third edition, under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, from September 10th to 12th next in Riyadh.
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