RIYADH: The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, in cooperation with global technology company Nvidia, on Tuesday inaugurated the Center of Excellence for Generative Artificial Intelligence. The authority also launched a beta version of its AI chat application, Allam, which supports the use of the Arabic language and is described as the first of its kind in the region. The opening of the center of excellence is one of the results of a partnership between the authority and Nvidia, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in February. The center is an important step, officials said, as it includes an Academy of AI that will help Saudis to develop their knowledge and skills in the field through specialized training programs and courses for AI engineers, data scientists and researchers, that will provide graduates with professional certificates. It will teach subjects such as accelerated computing, deep learning, natural language processing, image generation, and large language models, in both English and Arabic. The partnership between the authority and Nvidia will additionally offer training, and research and development in the AI field, officials said, and provide a platform for AI projects at the local and regional levels. It also aims to promote the development of neuro-linguistic models and machine learning, and allow the authority to benefit from the expertise of the Nvidia Institute for Deep Machine Learning. The Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority will also work with Saudi organizations and, through high-performance computing, help them to develop the use of AI in fields such as energy, health, education and the environment. Through such collaborations, the authority said it aims to position the Kingdom as a world leader in the AI field and a global technology center, to help achieve the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 development and diversification plan. Meanwhile, the newly released Allam application is aid to be the first in the country to include AI technology that can respond to Arabic queries. The current version draws on hundreds of millions of source documents in Arabic and English to answer questions in text or audio form using reliable sources of information from the Kingdom and the wider Arab world, developers said. The topics on which it can answer queries include Saudi history, sports, health and education. It can also help restore and color old photos, and summarize documents. Meanwhile, the authority’s “Generative Artificial Intelligence Accelerator Hackathon” challenge, organized in partnership with the National Technology Development Program and the New Native accelerator, will take place from May 18 to 21. The participants will work to create AI models. And the authority has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Education and Training Evaluation Commission with the aim of developing generative AI applications that use the capabilities of the Allam app to improve education and training experiences, and integrating the technology into the services provided by the commission.