Deloitte to host AI and data event in Riyadh

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Updated 16 May 2023
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Deloitte to host AI and data event in Riyadh

  • Experience Analytics on May 18 will bring together 450 guests to showcase, discuss emerging technologies

DUBAI: Consultancy firm Deloitte is hosting its flagship artificial intelligence and data analytics event, Experience Analytics, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 18.

The event aims to serve as a platform to showcase and discuss emerging technologies like generative AI and machine learning, particularly within the Middle East.

Mutasem Dajani, CEO of Deloitte Middle East, said: “Experience Analytics is the ideal forum to engage in discussions and the exchange of ideas on the best means to leverage emerging technologies that are truly shaping our present and future.”

He added that the decision to host the forum in Riyadh came on the back of the transformation taking place in the Kingdom, which “is experiencing today an unrivaled rate of development, and the resulting socioeconomic transformation will be surely accelerated by these emerging technologies.”

Under the theme “Creating Order From Chaos: Releasing the Power of AI,” the forum will feature over 30 sessions of TEDx-style talks, panel discussions, live demonstrations, and interactive lab activities.

The panels and breakout sessions include topics such as the hype around generative AI, the future of data and AI in digital government, the power of data in sports, and the role AI plays in creating a more sustainable world.

Deloitte will also announce the Middle East chapter of its AI Institute. Launched in June 2020, the institute focuses on AI research and applied innovation across industries. It currently has operations in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, and China.


WhatsApp says Russia ‘attempted to fully block’ app

Updated 12 February 2026
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WhatsApp says Russia ‘attempted to fully block’ app

  • Moscow has been trying to nudge Russians to use a more tightly controlled domestic online service

SAN FRANCISCO, United States: WhatsApp said Wednesday that Russia “attempted to fully block” the messaging app in the country to push users to a competing state-controlled service, potentially affecting 100 million people.
Moscow has been trying to nudge Russians to use a more tightly controlled domestic online service.
It has threatened a host of Internet platforms with forced slowdowns or outright bans if they do not comply with Russian laws, including those requiring data on Russian users to be stored inside the country.
“Today the Russian government attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive people to a state-owned surveillance app,” WhatsApp posted on X.
“Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia,” WhatsApp added.
“We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected.”
Critics and rights campaigners say the Russian restrictions are a transparent attempt by the Kremlin to ramp up control and surveillance over Internet use in Russia, amid a sweeping crackdown on dissent during the Ukraine offensive.
That latest developments came after Russia’s Internet watchdog said Tuesday it would slap “phased restrictions” on the Telegram messaging platform, which it said had not complied with the laws.