Saudi AI strategy forms the foundation of the Kingdom’s push to establish artificial intelligence as a trusted national capability, according to Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). Al-Ghamdi made the statement during a high-level ministerial session held on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi on February 19, 2026.
Al-Ghamdi headed the Kingdom’s delegation at the summit, which operated under the theme “People, Planet, and Progress.” The session drew broad participation from heads of state, decision-makers, and technology leaders from around the world. Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to India, Haytham bin Hassan Al-Maliki, also attended.
Saudi AI Strategy Rests on Three Core Pillars
Al-Ghamdi outlined a comprehensive strategy aligned with the objectives of رؤية السعودية 2030. The strategy aims to develop government services, enhance national competitiveness, build human capacity, and improve quality of life. He said the approach rests on three distinct pillars designed to achieve sustainable developmental impact.
First Pillar: Human Capacity Building
The first pillar centers on building human capacity and enhancing readiness to engage with AI technologies. Al-Ghamdi noted that Saudi Arabia launched a package of national initiatives to empower citizens. He specifically highlighted the “Samai” initiative, which he said moved society from awareness to capability within a single year.
“The first pillar focuses on building human capacity and enhancing readiness to engage with AI technologies.”
Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, President, SDAIA
The Samai initiative reached more than 1.2 million male and female trainees within one year of its launch, according to Al-Ghamdi. This figure reflects the scale of the Kingdom’s investment in AI literacy at the population level.
Second Pillar: National AI Ecosystem and Infrastructure
The second pillar involves building an integrated national AI ecosystem to drive expansion and innovation. Al-Ghamdi said this requires developing advanced digital infrastructure that enables various sectors to adopt AI applications efficiently, consistently, and with effective governance. He noted that the Kingdom is intensifying investments in specialized AI data centers through Humain, a company equipped with advanced computing capabilities to support the AI era.
Third Pillar: Governance and Accountability
The third pillar focuses on governance, which Al-Ghamdi described as ensuring responsible and measurable AI. This pillar operates through a national framework aligned with international standards to strengthen public trust. The framework includes the National Data Index and the National AI Index, both designed to monitor data maturity and the readiness of government entities.
Al-Ghamdi also affirmed Saudi Arabia’s readiness to partner with governments, the private sector, academic institutions, and civil society worldwide. He said the goal is to build a responsible AI ecosystem that serves humanity and achieves sustainable development for all, in line with the Kingdom’s support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.