NEW DELHI — President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) Abdullah Alghamdi said Saudi Arabia is moving steadily to position artificial intelligence as a trusted national capability, aimed at enhancing government services, boosting competitiveness, developing human capital and improving quality of life.Alghamdi made the remarks while leading the Kingdom’s delegation at a high-level ministerial session during the AI Impact Summit 2026 held in India under the theme “People, Planet and Progress.”The session was attended by Saudi Ambassador to India Haitham Almalki and a broad group of heads of state, policymakers and technology leaders from around the world.He said the Kingdom’s integrated AI strategy is built on three main pillars designed to unlock the full potential of the technology and generate sustainable development impact.“The first pillar is building human capability and enhancing readiness to engage with AI technologies,” Alghamdi said, noting that Saudi Arabia launched several national initiatives to empower citizens, including the “SamAI” initiative, which he said moved society from awareness to empowerment and reached more than 1.2 million trainees within one year.He added that the second pillar focuses on establishing a comprehensive national AI ecosystem to drive expansion and innovation by developing advanced digital infrastructure that enables sectors to adopt AI applications efficiently, consistently and under effective governance.Alghamdi pointed to intensified investments in specialized AI data centers through the company Humain, equipped with advanced computing capabilities to support the AI era.He said the third pillar centers on governance to ensure responsible and measurable AI, through a national framework aligned with international standards to strengthen public trust.The framework includes the National Data Index and the National Artificial Intelligence Index to track data maturity and government readiness.Alghamdi reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s readiness to partner with governments, the private sector, academic institutions and civil society worldwide to build a responsible AI ecosystem that serves humanity and supports sustainable development, in line with the Kingdom’s efforts to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.