RIYADH - The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has achieved a significant milestone by providing training to more than one million Saudi citizens in artificial intelligence skills through the SAMAI initiative.

This figure represents nine percent of the working-age population. Dr. Majed Al-Shehri, spokesman of SDAIA, made the remarks during the ceremony to announce this remarkable achievement at the Ministry of Education's premises in Riyadh on Sunday. The achievement reflects the success of national efforts to empower Saudi society with AI skills and enhance digital literacy across various segments of the population.

The initiative witnessed widespread interaction from various regions of the Kingdom, with the number of registered citizens exceeding one million, of whom 52 percent were women and 48 percent were men. Employees constituted 70 percent of the total participants, while students made up 30 percent.

The initiative has been successful in giving training to one million Saudis in the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and increased awareness of its positive applications in professional and academic life. He noted that this accomplishment was achieved in a short time thanks to the effective partnership between the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.

Al-Shehri emphasized that this collaboration has enabled access to a wide segment of school and university students, as well as Ministry of Education staff and teachers. He added that new initiatives, which target various segments of society, including specialists, scholars, and researchers in the field of artificial intelligence, will be launched soon.

Al-Shehri noted that SDAIA has also launched advanced training programs and camps, most notably courses on AI Agentic technologies, which contribute to knowledge transfer and the activation of modern artificial intelligence tools to enhance efficiency and innovation in this field.

Those who attended the event included Minister of Education Yousef Al-Bunyan; SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi; Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Inas Al-Issa; President of Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University Dr. Ahmed Al-Amri; and Director of the National Information Center at SDAIA Dr. Esam Al-Wagait.

Speaking on the occasion, Al-Bunyan affirmed that this success is a practical embodiment of the integration between the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), in investing in human capital and developing its capabilities, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, which has made technology and innovation a cornerstone of sustainable national growth. He explained that since the initiative's launch, the ministry has been keen to open its doors to university and school students, enabling them to be part of this major national project and acquire artificial intelligence and emerging technology skills that will prepare them for the future.

For his part, Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, CEO of the Capacity Building Sector at SDAIA, said that the SAMAI initiative exceeded its target of training one million Saudi men and women. “This reflects the success of its objectives, which aim to raise awareness among the nation's youth in the fields of data and artificial intelligence technologies that have become a significant reality in our modern lives. These technologies also play a fundamental role in contributing to building a knowledge-based society and supporting the Kingdom's efforts to lead the transformation towards a thriving knowledge economy based on innovation and technology,” he said.

The SAMAI initiative is a major program by the SDAIA to train one million Saudi citizens in AI and data skills, fostering a knowledge-based society and promoting Saudi Arabia's position as a global AI leader by 2030, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Launched in September 2024, it provides skills in AI applications, ethics, and practical tools for business and daily life, aiming to empower citizens in advanced tech fields.

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