Global AI Summit to be held online due to Covid-19

The event will set out Saudi Arabia’s National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence

The first edition of the Global AI summit, which was due to be held virtually, will now be held online under the theme of AI for the Good of Humanity. Getty

A Global AI Summit that was due to be held in Riyadh next month will now be convened online due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to the organiser.

The inaugural edition of the summit, organised by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), will now be held virtually on October 21-22 under the theme of AI for the Good of Humanity. It had originally been planned to take place in March but was delayed as a result of the pandemic.

The event will focus on the latest developments in artificial intelligence and explore topics such as the technology's impact on socio-economic development and challenges faced by the global community in its implementation.

“The Global AI Summit will be a unique opportunity to explore what the new global era means to AI … how AI's transformational potential can be best used to create a better future for all, and what this means for policy and decision makers interested in leveraging the potential for the good of humanity,” the summit’s website said.

Taking place during Saudi Arabia’s G20 Presidency year, the summit is also due to set out the kingdom's National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence.

Saudi Arabia, the Arab world's largest economy, is investing in technology as part of its economic diversification plans. AI is expected to contribute up to 12.4 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product – equivalent to Dh496.2 billion – by 2030, according to a report by consultancy PwC.

The AI summit will be divided into four tracks: shaping the new normal, AI and governments, governing AI and the Future of AI, the organisers said. It will offer a platform to shape the global AI agenda and give recommendations on how to develop impactful national AI strategies in a post-coronavirus era context. It will also offer insights into AI innovations and investment trends, according to the event's agenda.