Saudi Arabia will host the fourth UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Riyadh. This forum brings together international experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss the ethical implications and governance of AI. The Kingdom's hosting of this event underscores its commitment to shaping global AI ethics frameworks. Why it matters: This positions Saudi Arabia as a key player in international dialogues on AI governance and ethics, fostering regional and global collaboration on responsible AI development.
Technology Innovation Institute (TII) won the UAE AI Award for Emirati AI Solutions for its Falcon LLM series. AI71 also won for LAW71, an AI-powered legal solution, and RAZI71, an AI-powered healthcare solution. The award recognizes AI innovations made in the UAE that demonstrate innovation, AI ethics compliance, maturity, and scalability. Why it matters: The award highlights the UAE's commitment to developing local AI talent and solutions, particularly in open-source models, for global collaboration and positive transformation.
Saudi Arabia is set to host the UNESCO Global Forum on AI ethics in Riyadh. This international event will gather experts and policymakers to discuss the development and implementation of ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence. The forum aims to foster global collaboration on responsible AI practices and governance. Why it matters: Hosting this forum positions Saudi Arabia as a key player in international dialogues on AI ethics and highlights its commitment to shaping global AI policy.
MBZUAI President Eric Xing led a global collaboration to develop Vicuna, an LLM alternative to GPT-3 addressing the unsustainable costs of training LLMs. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged Abu Dhabi's role in the global AI conversation, building off of achievements like Vicuna. Xing and colleagues are publishing research at MLSys 2023 on "cross-mesh resharding" to improve computer communication in deep learning, aiming for low-carbon, affordable, and miniaturized AI. Why it matters: This research signals a push towards sustainable AI development in the region, emphasizing efficiency and reduced environmental impact.
The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) received two Certificates of Excellence at the WSIS Prizes 2026, an international competition recognizing achievements in information society development. These awards highlight SDAIA's significant contributions to advancing data and artificial intelligence initiatives. The recognition underscores Saudi Arabia's efforts in leveraging technology for national development and global collaboration. Why it matters: This demonstrates Saudi Arabia's growing international standing and leadership in data and AI, reinforcing its Vision 2030 goals for digital transformation.
KAUST is hosting a workshop on distributed training in November 2025, led by Professors Peter Richtarik and Marco Canini, focusing on scaling large models like LLMs and ViTs. Richtarik's team recently solved a 75-year-old problem in asynchronous optimization, developing time-optimal stochastic gradient descent algorithms. This research improves the speed and reliability of large model training and supports applications in distributed and federated learning. Why it matters: KAUST's focus on scalable AI and federated learning contributes to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals and addresses critical challenges in AI deployment and data privacy.
KAUST will host the Times Higher Education (THE) World Academic Summit from October 7-9, 2025, the first time the event will be held in the Middle East. The summit's theme is "Universities as agents of progress," focusing on how universities drive innovation, sustainability, and global collaboration. Speakers include KAUST faculty such as Sami Al Ghamdi, Dana Al-Sulaiman, Carlos Duarte, and Juergen Schmidhuber. Why it matters: This event highlights KAUST's and Saudi Arabia's growing role in science, innovation, and higher education in the region.
KAUST held its Rising Stars in AI Symposium 2025, organized by the Center of Excellence for Generative AI, from April 7-10. The symposium hosted 25 emerging researchers to present their work in generative AI, machine learning, CV, and NLP. KAUST leadership emphasized the university's commitment to AI research and its role in fostering global collaboration and innovation in the field. Why it matters: The event highlights KAUST's ambition to become a central hub for AI research and talent development in Saudi Arabia, aligning with the Kingdom's broader AI strategy.