DGA Governor says AI benefited 77% of government decision makers

Ahmed Alsuwaiyan, Governor of Digital Government Authority (DGA)

Ahmed Alsuwaiyan, Governor of the Digital Government Authority (DGA), said that COVID-19 accelerated the digital transformation process, as 77% of government decision makers benefited from artificial intelligence (AI), 6% from the Internet of Things (IoT), while cloud computing accounted for 51%.

Reliance on emerging technologies has become a priority for decision makers to meet challenges and manage crises, Alsuwaiyan said.

He highlighted the importance of the economic aspects achieved by the private sector and the significant role of creating digital software infrastructure and localizing the technology industry, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The importance of sustainability in the sectors’ digital transformation led to the establishment of a center for innovation and emerging technologies, that enhances the innovative role in the Kingdom. This in turn depends on the main pillars of enabling the building of digital capabilities, and promoting a culture of innovation.

Enabling joint innovation, designing experiences for future solutions and accelerating the adoption of technology contributes towards keeping Saudi Arabia at the forefront, the Governor noted.

He further pointed out the importance of boosting the Kingdom's digital leadership by localizing the telecommunications and information technology industry by promoting leadership in digital technologies and solutions, transforming the IT spending landscape, and building innovative solutions and new markets.

Meanwhile, the impact of open-source government software on high digital revenue will be between 2022 and 2026, and their future roles in creating a new market, and transforming the landscape of government spending, so that the cumulative government demand will be SAR 3 billion.

The open-source government software will create 2,000 jobs specialized in open-source software, in addition to achieving SAR 5 billion in participation in the digital economy, its contributions to the creation and polarization of new companies and create revenue of up to SAR 2 billion through local companies.