Saudi Arabia: AI nation for cooperation for the common good?

Saudi Arabia wants to become an AI nation - and opens up new opportunities for cooperation for the common good

"The Kingdom has set itself the goal of developing a general-purpose AI" - this is how the renowned AI pioneer Prof. Jürgen Schmidhuber describes Saudi Arabia's ambitions. What initially sounds like a purely high-tech vision opens up a wealth of opportunities for innovative principles on closer inspection - such as the Natural Economy of Life, Gradido.

Vision 2030: From oil to open future

Saudi Arabia is fundamentally realigning its course with Vision 2030: Together with international experts, conditions are being created to make the country one of the leading innovation centers for artificial intelligence. The sovereign wealth fund PIF plans to invest 100 billion US dollars in AI infrastructure, cloud computing, research and start-ups alone in the coming years.

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is at the heart of this awakening - an international research oasis on the Red Sea with exceptional technical capabilities (e.g. over 2,800 AI-optimized graphics processors). The Center for Generative AI is headed by Jürgen Schmidhuber, a German co-founder of deep learning and father of the LSTM networks on which applications such as ChatGPT are based today.

A talent factory for the future

Not only is the technological infrastructure growing rapidly, but the expertise in the country is also growing fast: since 2015, the number of people employed in the AI sector has risen by 75 %, and top researchers and talents from all over the world are specifically invited to Saudi Arabia. This is creating the best conditions for a top-class innovation ecosystem.

This opens up attractive opportunities for companies to participate in the world's most relevant future technologies - from medicine and education to sustainable urban development and high-tech factories.

Artificial intelligence for all - rethinking prosperity

What does this technological revolution mean for a future worth living and for the human family? What is particularly exciting is that Saudi Arabia is increasingly linking the topic of AI with social responsibility and sustainable value creation principles. The basic idea is that AI expertise should not only serve the profits of large corporations. Instead, algorithms, automation and "smart" solutions can help to promote the common good - e.g. through better healthcare, smart use of resources, access to education for all and new opportunities for social participation.

This is precisely where Gradido can fully develop its strengths:

• Triple prosperity: AI can help to promote and capture prosperity for all, a strong common good and nature in a balanced circular economy.

• Participation and appreciation of all: A transparent, digital reward system such as Gradido makes social contributions and community involvement visible and rewards them - especially for those who were previously overshadowed.

• Innovative education, fair opportunities: AI-driven learning and mentoring programs can promote skills in a variety of ways, break down barriers and enable a genuine upward mobility society.

Global role model: From high-tech laboratory to model society?

Saudi Arabia is using its AI advantage to position itself as a modern tech center - and is opening the way for new models of how peaceful and just coexistence can succeed in an increasingly automated world.

The integration of Gradido into this open innovation culture offers enormous opportunities to unleash the benefits of artificial intelligence for the good of the individual, the community and nature:

• Distribution of AI-based prosperity gains to all people instead of just a few corporations

• Fair participation through digital tools that enable access and self-determination beyond traditional hierarchies

• Creating new, meaningful activities and freedom beyond purely gainful employment - in the spirit of a Natural Economy of Life Now

Outlook: The next big step - AI for life

Technological change is taking place at a rapid pace, and new AI systems are becoming ever cheaper and more powerful. Saudi Arabia's investments, coupled with a culture of innovation that relies on global cooperation, are opening up a unique springboard: the foundation is being laid for an economy and society that sees technology and humanity not as opposites, but as driving forces for shared prosperity, peace and freedom.

With Gradido, Saudi Arabia can become a source of inspiration for the whole world - and show how artificial intelligence, innovation, participation and the natural economy can merge to create a genuine quality of life for all.

See also:

The kingdom has set out to develop a general-purpose AI (Handelsblatt)