SDAIA's SAMAI Initiative Successfully Empowers Over 330,000 Citizens With Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Abdullah Alghamdi, President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), highlighted the Kingdom's global leadership in empowering women in AI and its second place in community awareness, as per the Stanford Index. These achievements are due to SDAIA's collaborations with various government bodies. He praised the partnership with the Ministry of Education for fostering an AI-driven educational environment that boosts national competitiveness.

During his keynote at the Non-Profit Sector Forum in Education and Training 2025, Dr. Alghamdi stressed the importance of anticipating AI's impact and investing in it to enhance educational tools. The session was attended by Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan, Deputy Minister Eng. Mansour Al-Mushaiti, and other officials from relevant sectors.

SDAIA’s partnerships align with directives from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, following the launch of the National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence in 2020. This strategy aims to build partnerships with entities like the Ministry of Education. Notable initiatives include the National Olympiad for Programming and Artificial Intelligence, which engaged over 260,000 students, with 10,000 reaching the final stage.

The "Road to ATHKA" initiative trained more than 570,000 students on AI concepts. Another significant effort is the "Future Intelligence Programmers" initiative, which has prepared over 10,000 teachers to engage with intelligent learning environments tailored to students' needs.

The "SAMAI" initiative, launched with the Ministry of Education and Human Resources and Social Development, aims to empower one million Saudis with AI skills. So far, it has benefited 334,000 citizens. Dr. Alghamdi also mentioned the Center for Excellence in Education, established through a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education to integrate technology within education effectively.

This center focuses on sustaining future-oriented initiatives and leveraging AI to improve learning outcomes. In addition to these efforts, SDAIA oversees nine nonprofit organizations dedicated to education and community awareness about AI.

Charitable Contributions and Educational Support

The National Platform for Charitable Work, "Ehsan," serves as a flagship model for technology's role in social development. Over four years, it has collected more than SAR12 billion in donations for impactful programs across various sectors including education.

Ehsan has provided over 2,000 educational opportunities and funded projects worth over SAR450 million in collaboration with charitable associations. These projects have supported more than 955,000 students through educational equipment provision and workforce-aligned training programs.

Promoting Educational Equity

The Ehsan Endowment Fund has attracted donations exceeding SAR370 million. It promotes educational equity by offering scholarships and grants while aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Saudi Vision 2030.

Dr. Alghamdi emphasized SDAIA’s commitment to developing a robust nonprofit ecosystem centered on data and AI knowledge dissemination. These organizations have recorded over 8,100 volunteer hours involving more than 300 Saudi volunteers.

"This reflects SDAIA's dedication to building an informed, engaged society ready for future challenges," Dr. Alghamdi stated. "Through sustainable models, we aim for inclusive national development aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 aspirations."

With inputs from SPA