Business leaders, academics, and government officials gathered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the Global AI Summit (GAIN) to discuss the future of artificial intelligence. Key speakers included Antoine Blondeau from Alpha Intelligence Capital, Accenture’s Julie Sweet, and Qualcomm’s Christiano Amon. The opening ceremony emphasized the importance of human-AI collaboration.
Hosted by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), the event featured seminars on various topics, including AI ethics and digital companions. The third annual summit opened with a performance-art ceremony inspired by John Lennon’s Imagine, promoting a hopeful vision for artificial general intelligence (AGI).
SDAIA President Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi highlighted the need for unity and collaboration to navigate the AI-driven world. A panel discussion focused on the growing interdependence between AI and urban traffic management, addressing the real-time data gap in traffic flows.
Professor Sohaib Ahmad Khan noted the significant growth and energy at the conference, with many new ideas and strong commitment to AI advancements. Traffic technology was prominently featured, with SAMI-AEC presenting its UVSS scanning system for vehicle identification and Tahakom showcasing its AI-driven risk-detection and smart mobility solutions.
International companies like Lucid, Boston Dynamics, Huawei, FanRuan, and Hewlett-Packard also exhibited their technologies. Iris Yan from FanRuan expressed excitement about the opportunities in the AI market and their collaboration with Huawei on smart city reporting tools.
The GAIN summit is part of Saudi Arabia’s effort to lead in global AI development, supported by a $40 billion investment from the Public Investment Fund (PIF). This initiative aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, aiming to diversify the economy into smart infrastructure and high-tech industries.