Big Talks About AI in Riyadh
On Tuesday 13 May 2025, officials from Saudi Arabia and the United States met in Riyadh. They talked about how to work together on artificial intelligence. This meeting happened at the Saudi-US Investment Forum.
Two Important Sessions
The discussions were held in two main sessions. The first was called “Pioneering Digital Futures: Joint Leadership in AI and Emerging Technologies.” The second one was titled “Digital Foundations: Building the Next Generation of AI and Infrastructure.”
Exciting Insights from Silicon Valley
In the first session, Abdullah Alswaha, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, spoke alongside David Sacks. Sacks is a well-known figure from Silicon Valley who is helping former President Donald Trump with ideas about cryptocurrency.
Sacks shared that he was very impressed with the entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia. He said they are doing amazing things with AI. He explained that successful companies in Silicon Valley create an ecosystem, which means they build a supportive community around their products.
How Ecosystems Work
Sacks mentioned that big companies often want others to create products that work with theirs. For example, they might make something called an API, which allows other people to build apps easily without needing lots of contracts or legal help. He believes the US should encourage this kind of collaboration globally.
Sacks noted that Trump wanted the US to lead in the AI race. He emphasized that to do this, the US needs strong partnerships with countries like Saudi Arabia.
Criticism of New Rules
Sacks also talked about some rules from President Joe Biden’s administration that limit how technology is shared. He said these rules make it harder for companies to share their innovations. He gave the example of iPhones, saying if there had been strict rules about them, their technology wouldn’t have spread widely around the world.
He believes sharing technology is good for everyone and that this idea hasn’t been strong in Washington lately, but it should return.
Looking Ahead in Tech
In the second session, many CEOs and tech leaders discussed global growth and new developments in Saudi Arabia’s tech scene. Ruth Porat, from Alphabet and Google, talked about what her company is doing in Saudi Arabia.
She mentioned that Google is building data centers and developing advanced AI software called Gemini, which can now speak 16 different Arabic dialects!
Conclusion: Artificial Intelligence
Saudi Arabia and the US are excited about working together on artificial intelligence . By sharing ideas and technology, they hope to create new opportunities and lead in this important field. This partnership could bring great benefits not just for both countries but for the whole world!
