RIYADH: The three winners of the “Shaping the Future of Media” challenge organized by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology were announced on Thursday, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Held in partnership with Asbar World Forum, the competition, which had a grand prize of SR300,000 ($80,000), attracted the participation of regional and international companies specializing in innovation to solve the most pressing challenges facing media systems.

The British software company, Factmata, came first, using artificial intelligence to identify harmful content on the internet. Two Saudi companies, Gherbal and Sahafa, took second and the third places. Gherbal developed a tool to detect spam emails and eliminate wave interference to create a smooth experience in social networks. Sahafa created technology to assist journalists in developing high-quality content based on accurate information.

After the success of KAUST’s first challenge, “Innovation Awards for Hajj and Umrah Technologies,” in 2020, this year’s challenge attracted more than 700 innovators from 37 countries, including India, the US, UK, France, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, 200 of them from the Kingdom.

The challenge is a platform to present innovative ideas and solutions which will support Vision 2030. 

The entries were selected after a comprehensive evaluation process by a committee of experts from the Kingdom and abroad, and will be turned into large investment projects to be adopted by entities specialized in providing support and guidance, such as Facebook, Google and Microsoft.

The three winners will be presented their prizes at the award ceremony held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh on Saturday, under the patronage of Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, acting governor of Riyadh.