Riyadh, Oct 21, 2020, SPA -- His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, confirmed that 2020 is an exceptional year to test the potential of artificial intelligence at a time when a new global status is being formed redefining lifestyles, business and learning. This came in a speech delivered on behalf of HRH the Crown Prince by Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, President of Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence (SDAIA), during the Global AI Summit under the title, “AI for the Good of Humanity". The following is the text of the speech: "Your Excellencies Ladies and gentlemen Peace be upon you Welcome to the first edition of the Global AI Summit Welcome from Riyadh, from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ... Where we strive to become a global hub for the world, for the East and the West ... Where we foster AI and, together, we harness its capabilities and unleash its potential for the good of all humanity. At the G20 Summit in Japan last year, we emphasized the importance of AI, which has taken its pivotal position in shaping our present and future. 2020, undoubtedly, has been an extraordinary year to test the potential of AI, as we witness the formation of a new global normal that is redefining our ways of life, working and learning. This requires all of us to think and work hard to take advantage of artificial intelligence and unleash its full potential in order to advance our societies and economies. Thus, we, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, today are launching the National Strategy for Data & AI, with a clear ambition to position the Kingdom as a model nation in AI... Where the best of data and artificial intelligence is made a reality. I hereby invite all dreamers, innovators, investors and thinkers to join us here in the Kingdom to achieve our ambitions together and to build a pioneering model; to unlock the value of data and AI in order to build knowledge-based economies and advance our present and future generations. However, we are also aware of the digital gap’s threats between developed and developing countries, and the role 2020 played in widening this gap, as well as the difficulties that many countries will face in keeping pace with digitalization, especially in the field of AI. Hence, we, in the Kingdom, have taken the initiative to address these challenges and reduce the gap in utilizing the potential of AI. In addition, during this summit, we look forward to announcing a number of important initiatives with our global partners to accelerate the adoption of AI capabilities in order to achieve sustainable development and promote the utilization of the global expertise in this field. In conclusion, I invite you all to work in a spirit of cooperation to shape the future of artificial intelligence in a way that serves all societies, prioritizes collaboration over competition, and focuses on reliable and responsible ways of AI’s uses and applications to serve humanity. And peace be upon you." --SPA 23:51 LOCAL TIME 20:51 GMT 0026 www.spa.gov.sa/w1433658