SAUDI'S AI AUTHORITY AND OECD INK MOU TO ENHANCE AI INCIDENT MONITORING IN MIDDLE EAST

RIYADH, Sept. 11 (Bernama) -- In strengthening Artificial Intelligence (AI) incident monitoring in Middle Eastern countries and improving the tracking of AI developments, the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Tuesday inked an MoU.

The MoU enables the implementation of the OECD AI Incidents Monitor (AIM) to track data in the Arabic language, according to a statement from SDAIA.

It was signed during the third edition of the Global AI Summit (GAIN) 2024 currently underway in Riyadh, which has brought together leaders, experts, and specialists in AI from across the world.

Through this collaboration, the OECD’s extensive resources, including its database of over 1,000 AI policies from 70 countries, will be enriched with valuable insights from the Middle East. 

AIM is designed to document AI incidents and hazards – providing policymakers, AI practitioners, and global stakeholders with critical insights into the risks and harms posed by AI systems.

This collaboration between SDAIA and the OECD is a significant step towards ensuring trustworthy AI systems that align with international standards.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the ongoing GAIN, SDAIA launched a pioneering initiative to advance AI research and applications developed in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).  

The groundbreaking initiative is determined to set a new standard in the global AI landscape, emphasising Saudi Arabia's commitment to responsible innovation, according to a separate statement issued by SDAIA.

The initiative aims to create a platform for discussing the future of AI and exploring how modern applications can empower policy development, enhance research environments, foster business growth, and influence various aspects of life.

A key focus of the project is to promote the ethical and responsible development and use of artificial intelligence in alignment with national values.

 The initiative also reflects the unveiling of Saudi Arabia's Country Report, developed through UNESCO's Readiness Assessment Methodology, an implementation tool of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.

On a related note, SDAIA announced a groundbreaking collaboration with software and fabless producer NVIDIA that will propel Saudi Arabia to the forefront of AI innovation.

At the heart of this collaboration is the integration of the latest NVIDIA technological advancements to enable developers to easily build and deploy AI applications with the ALLaM Arabic LLM model, ensuring unparalleled performance and scalability for region-specific workloads.

Together, SDAIA and NVIDIA are driving a new era of AI-powered transformation in Saudi Arabia, reinforcing the Kingdom’s leadership in AI and digital innovation on the global stage.

The GAIN summit opened on Tuesday, with the third edition of the summit exploring pivotal themes, such as Generative AI, AI in urban life, and the ethical governance of AI, ensuring a comprehensive discussion on the technology's impact on society, business, and governance.

The GAIN summit will feature over 450 speakers from more than 100 countries, and host 150 sessions to discuss the Now, the Next and the Never for AI, with over 32,000 delegates expected to attend over the three days.

-- BERNAMA