Since its establishment in 2019, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has reaffirmed its national commitment to serving society in line with the objectives of Vision 2030, through initiatives focusing on social responsibility. These initiatives include improving quality of life, protecting the environment, supporting charitable work, and raising awareness about data and artificial intelligence technologies, amidst advancements in these fields globally and locally.
With the support and guidance of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has achieved the second position globally in societal awareness of artificial intelligence, according to the International Stanford University AI Index for 2023. This achievement demonstrates the Kingdom’s commitment to enhancing societal awareness of data and artificial intelligence technologies through its social responsibilities.
SDAIA has adopted in its social responsibility vision a set of principles and objectives related to its official duties as a national reference for data and artificial intelligence regulations, development, and management. It has implemented various projects that reinforce this aspect, starting from enhancing cognitive awareness and technical empowerment to support Kingdom Vision 2030 in transitioning to a knowledge society. These projects also include building national youth capacities and fostering their creative thinking in AI fields to produce distinctive creative works that contribute to the country’s future. Additionally, they have provided students of all ages with the necessary skills to compete in a globally technology-driven society.
For this purpose, “SDAIA” through its academy has organized long and short-term training camps and programs in collaboration with renowned international academic and tech institutions. These efforts have had a significant cognitive impact, benefiting over 590,000 nationals. They have also raised awareness about AI in the Kingdom, supported teachers and educators in leveraging data and AI technologies for improving their educational experiences, positively impacting their performance.
SDAIA has aimed to offer quality initiatives to support awareness programs in various fields, such as basic awareness, general awareness, specialized awareness, mandatory awareness, and interactive awareness, in collaboration with leading global tech companies. The company has also worked on enhancing the spread of knowledge about generative AI by being present in universities and organizing forums to bring together university professors and students to increase knowledge about these technologies.
Sdaia has gone to great lengths to support educational programs in various fieldsTo a further level through its focus on empowering women, Sidaya launched the world’s first program titled “Elevate Program” in collaboration with Google Cloud. The program’s initial phase aims to train over 1000 women from more than 28 countries in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning in emerging markets. Sidaya seeks to increase women’s knowledge in technology, science, and artificial intelligence to achieve gender equality in scientific, technological, engineering, and mathematical fields, in order to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
By fulfilling its mission to provide data and foresight capabilities and innovate in the field of artificial intelligence, Sidaya has worked on spreading a culture of innovation in society and improving individuals’ lives to encourage the importance of these technologies and their significant impact on our country’s bright future as part of its general efforts to support elevating the Kingdom to leadership in the knowledge, data, and artificial intelligence economy to achieve the goals of Vision 2030.
In this context, Sidaya launched the National Olympiad for Programming and Artificial Intelligence (Atheer) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity “Mawhiba”. Accompanied events were organized by Sidaya to enhance awareness of data and artificial intelligence among public school students and their families. The initiative included over 575,000 students, reflecting the success of Sidaya’s community efforts in enriching awareness about data and artificial intelligence technologies and attracting the community to participate in its programs and initiatives.
Sidaya participated in establishing the Data and Artificial Intelligence Glossary in collaboration with the King Salman International Complex for Arabic Language with the goal of documenting technical terms related to data and artificial intelligence in Arabic and English. Several publications and scientific newsletters were published, summarizing numerous articles to increase awareness about artificial intelligence technologies. Sidaya managed the supervisory unit of the data and artificial intelligence community to promote a non-profit work culture and encourage the creation of non-profit entities in the field.
Continuing its efforts to enhance best practices in the field of social responsibility through its integrated role with government, private, and non-profit sectors, Sidaya launched international agreements to cooperate in building the knowledge community and raising awareness about data and artificial intelligence technologies. The company launched the National Framework for Professional Standards in the field of data and artificial intelligence following global practices, to serve as a fundamental reference for stakeholders, whether practitioners or decision-makers in various entities. Additionally, Sidaya collaborated with the Education and Training Evaluation Authority in launching the Saudi Academic Framework for Artificial Intelligence Qualifications to serve as a guide for accrediting higher education programs in the field of data and artificial intelligence.
Recognizing the importance of the impact of artificial intelligence technologies, Sidaya launched ethical principles in this field during the organization of the World Artificial Intelligence Summit in 2022 in Riyadh. The International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics was launched in Riyadh, and Sidaya provided full support to enhance data and artificial intelligence research and raise awareness about ethics related to this field.
Sidaya supported the national Ishan platform for charitable work to promote values of solidarity and cohesion in society and encourage people to donate and follow their righteous leadership in this field. Sidaya provided advanced technologies to facilitate the donation process and ensure donations quickly reach those in need. Thanks to these efforts, a total of SAR 6 billion has been collected in donations so far, benefiting
More than 4.8 million individuals.
At the same time, (Sadeyah) has worked to enhance the quality of life for over 30 million users in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia through the Tawakkalna application, one of its advanced digital products. Individuals and entities have benefited from more than 240 digital services available easily and quickly, and Sadeyah has facilitated and authenticated user experience through its digital application, effectively supporting access to government services in an organized manner.
Externally, Sadeyah organizes periodic programs and activities to enhance the capabilities of its employees in various fields such as cultural, sports, and health. Sadeyah provides tailored training programs to develop the skills of its employees in various fields, in collaboration with international partners inside and outside the Kingdom. An annual excellence award has been launched to enhance a spirit of competition among employees and motivate them to provide the best services and professional practices. Moreover, Sadeyah aims to create a positive work environment and cultivate a spirit of volunteering among its employees through internal workshops that educate them on the importance of volunteering and supporting the non-profit sector.
Sources
SPA – Sadeyah
