Saudi Arabia's AI Ambitions: A Double-Edged Sword for Economic Growth and Human Rights

Saudi Arabia's AI Ambitions

Saudi Arabia is making significant strides in its quest to become a global artificial intelligence (AI) hub, with recent developments highlighting the country's commitment to this goal. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has launched a new AI company, Humain, as part of the state-run investment firm, aiming to create powerful Arabic large language models 1

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. This initiative is poised to impact over 450 million Arabic speakers worldwide and forms a crucial part of Saudi Arabia's vision to diversify its economy beyond oil.

Massive Investments and Partnerships

The scale of Saudi Arabia's AI ambitions is reflected in its substantial financial commitments. According to the Global AI Index, the country's public AI spending commitments surpass those of the US and China, with plans to invest more than $40 billion over the next decade 1

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Humain has announced two major partnerships:

1. A collaboration with NVIDIA to create AI data centers in Saudi Arabia, involving the export of "several hundred thousand" advanced GPUs over five years 2

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2. A $5 billion partnership with Amazon Web Services to build AI infrastructure in the country 2

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AI Integration in Urban Development

Saudi Arabia is also incorporating AI into its urban development projects. The technology is central to the megacity development known as The Line, and is being used to optimize traffic systems and improve energy efficiency 1

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Public Support and Perception

The Saudi public appears to be supportive of these AI initiatives. A 2022 Ipsos survey found that 76% of adults in Saudi Arabia believed AI products and services offer more benefits than drawbacks, significantly higher than the global average of 52% 2

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Human Rights Concerns

However, Saudi Arabia's AI ambitions are not without controversy. The country's absolute monarchy, led by an unelected king with total authority, has been criticized for its human rights record. Freedom House reports that Saudi Arabia "restricts almost all political rights and civil liberties" 1

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There are concerns that AI could be used to further entrench the monarchy's power and control over civilian life. For instance:

1. The country has reportedly used spyware on devices belonging to government critics' relatives 2

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2. The Line megacity project is set to incorporate digital tracking systems, leading some to describe it as a "surveillance city" 1

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AI as a Digital Authoritarian Tool

Political scientist Nayera Mohamed Hamed Ibrahim has described AI in Saudi Arabia as a "digital authoritarian tool" in a 2024 paper 2

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. As Saudi Arabia continues its march towards becoming one of the world's largest AI developers, there are growing concerns about the potential misuse of this technology to further suppress dissent and control the population.