Gulf News April 13, 2025
Dubai: Saudi Arabia has surpassed all other nations in female representation in the artificial intelligence workforce, according to the newly released Stanford AI Index Report 2025.
The report, published by Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, found that the Kingdom now has the highest female-to-male ratio in AI-related employment globally, a milestone driven by a national strategy to empower women and build world-class AI capabilities under Saudi Vision 2030.
The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)’s Elevate program, developed in partnership with Google Cloud, aims to train more than 25,000 women in AI and emerging technologies. The initiative is one of many to position women as active leaders in the digital economy, and to close long-standing gender gaps in science and technology.
The Kingdom’s progress in AI extends beyond gender parity. Saudi Arabia also ranked third globally for AI job growth in 2024. It secured fourth place in the number of leading AI models, alongside global powerhouses such as the United States, China, and France.
Saudi Arabia has also adopted a comprehensive strategy to drive massive progress in AI, focusing on strengthening infrastructure, developing local talent, fostering international partnerships, and implementing forward-thinking regulations.
With SDAIA leading the charge, the Kingdom has launched various initiatives, including national AI Olympiads, university talent accelerators, and global research collaborations, aimed at building a robust and innovative AI landscape.
Saudi Arabia’s large language model “Alam,” for instance, has been recognized by platforms such as Hugging Face and IBM’s watsonx for its quality in Arabic generative capabilities—cementing the Kingdom’s role as a force in developing culturally relevant AI technologies.
The report also highlighted the establishment of the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) in Riyadh, launched under the umbrella of UNESCO. The center is envisioned as a global hub for responsible AI governance, underscoring the Kingdom’s ambition not only to lead in innovation, but to shape the global norms around AI development.
Saudi Arabia’s ambitious investment in AI also includes international collaborations, such as partnerships with NVIDIA, and Microsoft, further reinforcing its global leadership in AI development and ethical frameworks.
