The Banking Executive Issue - October 2025 Issue

ISSUE 202 OCTOBER 2025 the BANKING EXECUTIVE 91 FinTech and AI Chornicle The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelli- gence Authority (SDAIA) has achieved a significant milestone by providing training to more than one million Saudi citizens in artificial in- telligence 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 remark- able achievement at the Ministry of Education's premises in Riyadh. The achievement reflects the success of national efforts to empower Saudi so- ciety with AI skills and enhance dig- ital 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 intel- ligence and increased awareness of its positive applications in profes- sional 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 Devel- opment. Al-Shehri emphasized that this col- laboration has enabled access to a wide segment of school and univer- sity students, as well as Ministry of Education staff and teachers. He added that new initiatives, which tar- get various segments of society, in- cluding specialists, scholars, and researchers in the field of artificial in- telligence, will be launched soon. Al-Shehri noted that SDAIA has also launched advanced training pro- grams and camps, most notably courses on AI Agentic technologies, which contribute to knowledge transfer and the activation of modern artificial intelligence tools to en- hance efficiency and innovation in this field. Those who attended the event in- cluded Minister of Education Yousef Al-Bunyan; SDAIA President Dr. Ab- dullah Al-Ghamdi; Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Inas Al-Issa; Presi- dent 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-Bun- yan affirmed that this success is a practical embodiment of the inte- gration between the Ministry of Edu- cation and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and the Saudi Data and Artificial In- telligence Authority (SDAIA), in in- vesting 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 uni- versity and school students, enabling them to be part of this major national project and acquire artificial intelli- gence 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 initia- tive exceeded its target of training one million Saudi men and women. “This reflects the success of its objec- tives, which aim to raise awareness among the nation's youth in the fields of data and artificial intelli- gence technologies that have be- come a significant reality in our modern lives. These technologies also play a fundamental role in con- tributing to building a knowledge- based society and supporting the Kingdom's efforts to lead the transfor- mation towards a thriving knowledge economy based on innovation and technology,” he said. The SAMAI initiative is a major pro- gram by the SDAIA to train one mil- lion 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 Min- istry of Education and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Devel- opment. Launched in September 2024, it provides skills in AI applica- tions, ethics, and practical tools for business and daily life, aiming to em- power citizens in advanced tech fields. 52% OF 1 MILLION SAUDIS RECEIVED AI TRAINING ARE WOMEN