Latest news with #PrinceSaud
Asharq Al-Awsat
27-05-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Jeddah Governor Launches 2025 World Day for Cultural Diversity
Governor of Jeddah Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi inaugurated the 2025 World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development events at his office, organized by the Makkah Region branch of the Human Rights Commission (HRC). The event took place in cooperation with the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts in Jeddah, under the theme "Dialogue Between Civilizations Through the Lens of Human Rights." According to SPA, the events, inaugurated in the presence of HRC Makkah Region Branch Director Zaydi bin Raked Al-Ruwaili, aimed to promote shared human values, highlight the Kingdom's role in fostering a culture of tolerance and mutual respect among nations, and support cultural diversity. Through such initiatives, the HRC seeks to advance human rights principles through culture and the arts, and to create space for dialogue among diverse civilizations.
Arab News
22-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Major tourism project inaugurated in Al-Ahsa region
RIYADH: The launch of a major new resort project was inaugurated by Prince Saud bin Talal bin Badr, governor of Al-Ahsa, as he laid the foundation stone to mark the start of its construction on Wednesday evening. Various officials from government entities, investors, and representatives from Al-Ahsa Development Authority and the Tourism Fund attended the ceremony for the Dusit D2 Al-Ahsa resort. Spanning over 77,000 square meters, it will be located in Al-Ahsa Oasis, which is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It will include 120 luxury hotel units and amenities such as an artificial lake, a health club, restaurants, a cultural center, nature trails, and recreational areas. The resort will partly operate using solar energy and have electric internal transport, water treatment, and low-carbon building materials. A SR60 million ($15.995 million) project was also implemented to upgrade the water system in the region ahead of tourist season. Prince Saud expressed pride at the rapid growth of high-quality tourism projects in Al-Ahsa, all of which strengthen its status as an attractive tourist destination in the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported. He added that these projects contribute to diversifying income sources and increasing the tourism sector's contribution to the national economy, in alignment with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. The support and care that Al-Ahsa and its development projects receive from the Kingdom's leadership help empower the private sector and encourage investments across various fields, the prince added. The importance of supporting and enabling the private sector and creating a fruitful investment environment — one that prompts innovative initiatives and provides job opportunities for the people of the governorate — was also highlighted. The ceremony included the signing of management and operation agreements with the Thai company Dusit, which will operate the resort once it is completed, SPA reported. Naif bin Abdullah Al-Madhi, CEO of the Business Sector and Tourism Development Fund, spoke of the necessity to embolden projects that reflect the diversity of the Saudi identity and contribute to making unique experiences for tourists that showcase local culture and heritage. Al-Madhi described the resort as a model for utilizing local environmental resources to offer a complete hospitality experience that highlights agricultural and cultural tourism, especially in a region with the largest palm oasis in the world. Bassem Al-Ghadeer, chairman of Al-Ghadeer Group, which owns the project, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the governor for his support of the development.
Arabian Business
21-05-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
Saudi businesses look to AI to power marketing amid $135bn GDP push
Saudi Arabia is emerging as the Middle East's most ambitious AI powerhouse, investing more than $20bn in artificial intelligence as part of its Vision 2030 strategy. The goal is not only to diversify the Kingdom's economy, but to become a global leader in emerging technologies, with retail, marketing, and customer engagement among the fastest evolving sectors. According to PwC Middle East, AI is expected to contribute up to $135bn to Saudi Arabia's GDP by 2030, accounting for nearly 12.4 per cent of the national economy. AI in Saudi Arabia The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and the National Strategy for Data and AI (NSDAI) are leading the charge in advancing government and enterprise adoption of AI tools from predictive analytics to automated content creation. 'Saudi Arabia is not just embracing innovation; we are shaping a future where technology enhances every aspect of daily life,' said Prince Saud bin Salman Al Saud, speaking at the Global AI Summit 2024 in Riyadh. 'AI is our tool for empowerment across retail, education, and governance — and we are actively inviting innovators to help us lead this transformation.' Across sectors, Saudi businesses are accelerating their investment in AI-powered solutions that drive efficiency, reduce costs, and personalise customer interactions. The retail industry, in particular, is undergoing a major shift with localised content, dynamic creative automation, and real-time campaign adaptation becoming the norm. Statista projects that Saudi Arabia's AI-powered marketing and advertising industry will reach $2.4bn by 2028. William Li, CEO of FancyTech, said: 'AI is not about replacing creativity, it's about scaling it intelligently. We see Saudi Arabia as a growth engine where brands are eager to combine data, culture, and creativity to deliver impactful experiences.' FancyTech enables businesses to generate hyper-targeted content from social media visuals to digital storefront assets up to three times faster and at significantly lower production costs. After a successful global rollout across Asia and Europe, FancyTech officially entered the GCC market in 2024, with Dubai serving as its MENA headquarters. Retailers and marketers in KSA are increasingly shifting from static creative budgets to dynamic AI-enabled ecosystems. This allows real-time testing, multiple campaign variants, and adaptive storytelling tailored to audience behaviour all critical in a nation where more than 70 per cent of the population is under the age of 35 and deeply connected to digital platforms.
Zawya
21-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Saudi Arabia's $135bln AI boom fuels retail transformation with FancyTech among global innovators powering the shift
As Vision 2030 fuels AI integration across commerce and marketing, international players like FancyTech are aligning with Saudi ambitions to deliver scalable, personalized, and data-driven brand experiences KSA - Saudi Arabia is emerging as the Middle East's most ambitious AI powerhouse, investing more than US$20 billion in artificial intelligence as part of its Vision 2030 strategy. The goal is not only to diversify the Kingdom's economy but to become a global leader in emerging technologies, with retail, marketing, and customer engagement among the fastest evolving sectors. According to PwC Middle East, AI is expected to contribute up to US$135 billion to Saudi Arabia's GDP by 2030, accounting for nearly 12.4 percent of the national economy. The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and the National Strategy for Data & AI (NSDAI) are leading the charge in advancing government and enterprise adoption of AI tools from predictive analytics to automated content creation. 'Saudi Arabia is not just embracing innovation; we are shaping a future where technology enhances every aspect of daily life,' said Prince Saud bin Salman Al Saud, speaking at the Global AI Summit 2024 in Riyadh. 'AI is our tool for empowerment across retail, education, and governance — and we are actively inviting innovators to help us lead this transformation.' Across sectors, Saudi businesses are accelerating their investment in AI-powered solutions that drive efficiency, reduce costs, and personalise customer interactions. The retail industry, in particular, is undergoing a major shift with localised content, dynamic creative automation, and real-time campaign adaptation becoming the norm. Statista projects that Saudi Arabia's AI-powered marketing and advertising industry will reach US$2.4 billion by 2028. 'AI is not about replacing creativity, it's about scaling it intelligently,' said Mr William Li, CEO of FancyTech. 'We see Saudi Arabia as a growth engine where brands are eager to combine data, culture, and creativity to deliver impactful experiences.' FancyTech, a global AI-powered content technology company, is redefining how brands create, personalise, and scale visual campaigns across the retail and digital landscape. Known for its end-to-end AI solutions, FancyTech enables businesses to generate hyper-targeted content from social media visuals to digital storefront assets up to three times faster and at significantly lower production costs. Its dynamic creative capabilities allow marketers to test multiple variations in real time, enhancing both efficiency and engagement. After a successful global rollout across Asia and Europe, FancyTech officially entered the GCC market in 2024, with Dubai serving as its MENA headquarters. The company has since partnered with leading retailers and e-commerce players in the region and was recently honored at the FancyTech A&M Awards 2025 in Dubai, a regional platform recognizing excellence in AI-powered retail marketing. With accolades including the LVMH Innovation Award and a place on Forbes Asia's '100 to Watch' list, FancyTech is now actively expanding its footprint in Saudi Arabia aligning with the Kingdom's push for AI-led transformation in commerce, marketing, and consumer experience. Retailers and marketers in KSA are increasingly shifting from static creative budgets to dynamic AI-enabled ecosystems. This allows real-time testing, multiple campaign variants, and adaptive storytelling tailored to audience behavior all critical in a nation where over 70% of the population is under the age of 35 and deeply connected to digital platforms. Innovative Saudi brands, including emerging retailers and financial service firms, are already integrating AI into their operations to gain a competitive edge. The market is also seeing rising interest from regional agencies, cloud providers, and tech startups offering AI solutions tailored for the Arabic-speaking population and local consumer preferences. As the Kingdom continues to expand its AI footprint, global and local collaboration will be key. Platforms like FancyTech are well-positioned to serve as AI accelerators, enabling Saudi companies to fast-track innovation while retaining cultural relevance and brand authenticity.
Arab News
19-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
Technology to improve accessibility of Qur'an studies highlighted at competition
JEDDAH: A competition to promote Islamic values and new technologies to make Qur'an studies more accessible to those with disabilities was held in Jeddah on Sunday. The closing ceremony of the 16th edition of the Jeddah University Qur'an Competition for the Hijri year 1446 AH was held under the patronage of Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi, the governor of Jeddah. More than 1,000 students took part in the competition, which featured five components: memorization and recitation; people with disabilities; technological challenges in Qur'anic services; Qur'anic calligraphy; and a photography competition. Winners and participating institutions were honored by Prince Saud at the end of the ceremony. Ibrahim Shaheen from Egypt took first place in the visually impaired category and received an SR7,000 ($1,866) cash prize. The 17-year-old memorized the entire Qur'an since the age of 12, using braille to study the holy book. He told Arab News: 'I spent four years memorizing the Qur'an starting at the age of nine,' he said. 'Reciting the five parts for the competition was very easy and smooth, and I generally review the entire Qur'an every two weeks.' Safaa Habeeb Allah, head of the judging committee for the technology challenge, said the competition was 'a wonderful opportunity for students from various universities and schools to contribute to serving the Qur'an.' The winner of the SR20,000 technology challenge was the Wijdan app which provides users with emotional support by using a combination of resources from Islamic scripture and modern psychology. The app was developed by Radwa Ammar Abdel-Moaty, Suad Anis Al-Saadi, and Gharam Khalil Al-Sharabi, all from Jeddah University. Abdel-Moaty told Arab News that the inspiration for the app came after noticing similarities between modern psychological theories and passages in the Qur'an. 'This observation was the seed for the Wijdan project, the team combined the Qur'an and psychology using artificial intelligence, and the app mainly consists of two components: the psychological link and the emotion library,' Abdel-Moaty explained. 'The psychological link is an interactive chatbot that engages with the user, identifies emotions and responds based on the Qur'an and Sunnah. The emotion library acts as an index of human emotions mentioned in both the Qur'an and Sunnah.' Abdel-Moaty added: 'We used several technologies. First, we applied text and sentiment analysis using NLP (Natural Language Processing) in the interactive chatbot. 'We also developed smart emotion dictionaries and a reminder system that tracks your recurring emotions — whether sadness or joy — and offers advice and guidance accordingly.' The app also has text-to-speech technology to make it accessible to those with disabilities, and includes AI-generated illustrations for children. Another aspect of the competition focused on technologies to help people with disabilities to learn the Qur'an. The section winner was 'Talaa — With Every Sign, a Verse is Recited,' a project that allows deaf and mute people to recite the Qur'an by using sign language. It was created by Obay Rayan Ghulam and Aseel Ahmed Al-Hammadi from Jeddah University, who received a cash prize of SR10,000. Obay told Arab News: 'The inspiration for the project came from learning that the deaf and mute make up approximately 3.4 percent of the global population — around 55 million Muslims. 'Though the percentage may seem small, the number is enormous. Despite this, there are very few specialized resources or experts catering to their needs.' Obay continued: 'The core idea is to give this segment of the community the same independence everyone else enjoys — the ability to recite anytime, anywhere, without needing an interpreter or teacher. All they need is sign language and a device. 'They can see whether their sign is correct and whether they've recited the verse accurately, then move to the next one. There's also a page where they can learn the Qur'an by reading the verses, memorizing them, and then reciting again. 'We used the Madinah Qur'an as our source, which shows the Qur'anic text in Arabic script with sign language letters above. For this, we used deep learning and computer vision techniques, particularly the YOLO (you only look once) model.'
