More than 110 Saudi government entities have saved over $13.6 billion in opportunities, savings, and revenues through the “Istisharaf” platform.
Istisharaf, a platform of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), provides insights and future predictions to decision-makers in the Kingdom using big data, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence.
The platform employs a national team with multiple specializations to develop a comprehensive understanding of some economic, strategic, and social variables that contribute to decision-making and evaluating performance indicators at various entities to support their initiatives in achieving “Vision 2030.”
Dr. Essam Al-Wakeet, director of the National Information Center at SDAIA, said that in the context of the growing digital acceleration that the world is witnessing today, the Kingdom’s distinguished experience in the field of digital transformation stands out.
This came during the AI Summit in Al-Baha, on Wednesday, under the patronage of Prince Dr. Hashim bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, Prince of Al-Baha region, and the presence of a number of officials, specialists, and researchers in AI and smart cities technologies.
Dr. Al-Wakeet said that SDAIA has made efforts that have had the greatest impact in enabling and accelerating digital transformation in the government and driving the data and AI wheel in the Kingdom forward.
He explained that the Tawakkalna application has reached more than 31 million users, and the Nabaa platform serves more than 124 beneficiaries in notifying beneficiaries about more than 510 services it provides.
Al-Wakeet continued that the Buruq platform represents a major success in the field of secure government communication by organizing more than 47,000 meetings.
On the level of cloud services, the government cloud “DEIM” hosts more than 230 government data centers, which has contributed to improving the level of services and improving the efficiency of government spending, among others.
In the field of AI, SDAIA organized the World AI Summit in its first and second editions, and developed many smart solutions and use cases in the fields of energy, transportation, health, and security.
SDAIA also set its sights on developing human capabilities and digital skills through the establishment of a specialized academy, and launched training camps in the field of artificial intelligence.
For his part, Dr. Abdullah Al-Hussein, president of Al-Baha University, said that the university has achieved promising and tangible steps in the digital transformation journey that is aligned with the strategic plan.
He pointed out that this solid infrastructure has contributed to the adoption of modern applications to serve the activities and work at the university through qualitative digital services that have exceeded 120 services, and the establishment of the Institutional Infrastructure Office for Digital Transformation Governance, where it has obtained the institutional infrastructure certification as the first Saudi university at the third maturity level and digital maturity measurement for the entity (improvement level).
Al-Hussein added that the university established the Data Office for Data Management and Governance, which in turn achieved the third level for measuring the maturity of government data by 54 percent. It also developed more than 260 electronic courses offered in the blended education mode.
He added that the university won the Blackboard Award for Education and Learning in the Middle East in the category of Excellence in Community Participation (Rafed) in 2022 and 2023, respectively, while it launched the cybersecurity strategic plan with 4 operational plans and 8 projects, in addition to achieving a level of compliance with cybersecurity controls by 71 percent.
He added: “AI is not just a technical advancement, but rather a qualitative leap that touches every aspect of life and opens up new horizons of possibilities.”
He stressed the importance of discovering knowledge, ideas, discussing, and sharing them, which is considered a catalyst for multidisciplinary cooperation.
