Sahefat Alasar

World AI Summit 2026. Riyadh Draws a Map of the Digital Future of the World..

At a time when artificial intelligence is accelerating to transform from an emerging technology to a major driver of global economies, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to consolidate its position at the forefront of leading countries in this field, by announcing the organization of the World Artificial Intelligence Summit in its fourth edition during the period from September 15 to 17, 2026, at the King Abdulaziz International Convention Center in Riyadh, under the patronage of His Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority ( Saddaya).

The summit, organized by SDAIA, is a milestone in the global digital transformation journey, bringing together government leaders, decision-makers, CEOs of the world's largest technology companies, innovators and researchers in the field of data and artificial intelligence from around the world. It is transforming into a global intellectual and economic platform that shapes the digital future and discusses technological, ethical and economic trends.Timing is crucial. The world is on the cusp of a new era:

The World AI Summit 2026 comes at a critical time, as the world is witnessing an unprecedented boom in generative AI capabilities, and with it the big questions about privacy, security, ethics, and the impact of AI on the labor market and economy. In this context, the summit is a vital international platform for dialogue on how to harness AI to serve humanity and achieve sustainable development without compromising human values.

His Excellency Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, Chairman of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, stressed that the patronage of His Highness the Crown Prince is an extension of the continuous support that SDAYA enjoys, which has contributed to the Kingdom's achievement of qualitative leaps in global indicators related to data and artificial intelligence, and pushed it towards the ambition of global leadership in this field.

From previous summits to global leadership:

The summit continues the march of achievements achieved by the previous editions in 2020, 2022, and 2024, as the fourth edition comes to confirm the maturity of the Saudi experience and its ability to transform from presenting technologies to leading and formulating its policies.

One of the key outcomes of previous summits was the launch of the International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) under the auspices of UNESCO based in Riyadh, which aims to establish global norms for technology ethics and ensure that societies benefit from it fairly and responsibly.

This achievement reflects the Kingdom's growing role in shaping the international framework for AI governance, especially with the growing need for international agreements to regulate the use of these sensitive technologies.