RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has secured the top global ranking by winning the largest number of medals in the World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY). The competition, organized by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) in collaboration with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), saw the participation of 18,000 students from 40 countries worldwide. In this prestigious event, Saudi Arabia outshone countries such as the United States, India, Greece, Canada, and Singapore. Among the 6,039 projects submitted, 18 Saudi projects stood out with 11 earning gold, silver, and bronze medals, and 7 securing advanced positions. In comparison, the United States won 10 medals, while India and Greece each received two, and Canada and Singapore each earned one. Represented by general education students from primary, intermediate, and secondary schools, including Misk, Dhahran, Madac, KAUST, Aramco, AlUla, and NEOM, the Kingdom's participants excelled across three competition tracks: AI Showcase, AI-Generated Art, and AI Large Language Model. In recognition of Saudi excellence in artificial intelligence education, SDAIA and KAUST were honored with the Outstanding Organization Award at the global level, underscoring their dedication to the development of AI education. This recognition is further supported by the sixth edition of the Artificial Intelligence Index report from Stanford University in April 2023, where Saudi Arabia ranked second globally in societal awareness of AI. An opinion poll revealed a high level of confidence among Saudi citizens in dealing with artificial intelligence products and services within the Kingdom.
