GAIN: Global AI Summit 2022
Building on our cooperation in the region, we curated SDAIA's 2022 edition of the Global AI Summit (GAIN). Held 13–15 September 2022 in Riyadh under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, under the theme "Artificial Intelligence for the Good of Humanity," the second edition brought together over 200 experts, tech CEOs, and policymakers from 90 countries across three programme days structured around AI's impact on the public sector, private sector, and youth.
Related
GAIN: Global AI Summit 2022
The Global AI Summit is organized by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and positioned within Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 strategy to establish the Kingdom as a global leader in data-driven economies. The 2022 programme, opened by Communications and IT Minister Abdullah Alswaha and SDAIA President Abdullah Alghamdi, was organized around three daily arcs, AI Now, AI Next, and AI Never, moving from the current state of AI adoption through emerging applications to the ethical red lines governing its deployment. Sessions spanned taskforces on healthcare, AI readiness, policy and ethics, culture, and financial inclusion, alongside a dedicated Accessibility taskforce led by Microsoft and innovation sessions from Google, Siemens, WHO, and Insilico Medicine, with speakers including Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser, NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr, UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology Amandeep Singh Gill, and UNESCO's Mariagrazia Squicciarini and Fengchun Miao. The Summit concluded with an awarding ceremony described as "Celebrating the Launch of a Global AI Movement," alongside more than 80 agreements and 25 initiatives, including the launch of the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) under UNESCO, the Riyadh Charter for Artificial Intelligence in the Islamic World, and SDAIA's SMAI initiative to train one million Saudis in AI.
The Summit has continued as a recurring fixture since: its third edition returned to Riyadh from 10–12 September 2024 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center, again under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's patronage, drawing 300 speakers from 100 countries and yielding roughly 80 further agreements, including partnerships with Microsoft on Arabic large language models and Dell on national AI talent development, alongside the inaugural International AI Olympiad for students from 25 countries. SDAIA has confirmed the Summit's return to Riyadh in 2026, continuing its role as the Kingdom's flagship platform for AI governance, investment, and capacity-building.
References
¹ Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). "Global AI Summit (GAIN) 2022: Detailed Program." Riyadh. September 13–15, 2022.
² Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). "Global AI Summit (GAIN) 2022." Riyadh. September 2022.
³ Saudipedia. "Global AI Summit." Accessed 2026.
⁴ Saudi Press Agency (SPA). "SDAIA Concludes GAIN Summit with 80 Local, International Agreements." Riyadh. September 13, 2024.