Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah AlSwaha received the chief consultant of the White House for artificial intelligence and digital currencies David Sachs in Riyadh on Monday.

The two parties discussed the strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the United States in the areas of artificial and technical intelligence.

During a tour of the Deep Technology Factory in King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and "Grace", they met with Saudi pioneers and entrepreneurs, and reviewed pioneering projects that have the support of the innovation system in Saudi Arabia and leading American companies. The move reflects the support of the two countries for emerging companies, enabling them to grow within a flexible and stimulating digital environment.

They also met with the pioneers of the Tuwaiq Academy in the fields of programming and artificial intelligence, in addition to the first Arab Muslim astronaut, Raya Branawi, and other Saudi astronauts, and discussed the growing partnership between Saudi Arabia and the American Space Agency (NASA), through cooperation agreements in space exploration tasks and scientific experiments.

Cooperative models were also reviewed in digital health and sustainability, the most prominent of which is the Virtual Health Hospital — one of the largest digital hospitals in the world — which provides opportunities to cooperate with American health care institutions in developing remote diagnostic models and artificial intelligence-backed care, as well as projects in technical sustainability in partnership with American bodies working on environmental artificial intelligence, and analysis of climate data.

This visit embodies the growing integration between Saudi Arabia and the US in building a global digital and innovative economy-based on knowledge of knowledge, the development of digital infrastructure, and the empowerment of people through technology.