RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s role in technology advancement is helping to drive not only the regional but also the global economy, business leaders told Arab News at the World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh on Sunday.

The Kingdom has been “at the forefront” on artificial intelligence, Stefano Aversa, global vice chair and chair of Europe, the Middle and North Africa at consulting firm AlixPartners, said.

While the war in Gaza and broader Middle East tensions are expected to get top billing at the WEF Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development, technology’s role as a driver of change is also expected to be a major talking point.

Around 1,000 leaders from 92 countries have gathered in Riyadh for the two-day forum.

Saudi Arabia is “really a driver of not only the economy of the region, but also the economy of the world,” Aversa said.

“There are a lot of investors interested, and so it is important to stay close to some of the giga-projects here that will drive not only the growth of the Kingdom, but also the growth of some entire sectors, like energy transition.”

He said that the Kingdom’s move from “an early stage of development to more mature selective investment” is also important.

AlixPartners CEO Simon Freakley said that disruption is a looming issue for global industries ranging from automotive and aerospace to retail.

He defined disruption as “displacement of businesses, markets, and value networks as a result of economic, societal, environmental, political, regulatory, or technological changes.”

Freakley told Arab News that shipping routes, for example, faced disruption because of tensions in the Red Sea.

“Problems are caused by conflicts around the world or other challenges. What we’re finding is some of these themes go cross-industry, not just within industry.”

AlixPartners has 26 offices in 14 countries. Its fifth annual Disruption Index, based on a survey of 3,100 senior executives around the world, showed that 61 percent of CEOs worry they will be unable to keep pace with changing business cycles. 

Freakley said: “This disruption work that we now do every year has become a sort of a touchstone of how we help people understand what the best companies, the best leaders, are doing.”

The consulting firm has predicted AI will become the single biggest driver of change across industries, not only as a defense against competitors, but also as a tool to enhance go-to market strategies. 

“The people that are winning are the people that have the best data, and weaponize their data to actually get a competitive advantage. How people are using AI and the insight from their data to drive their growth is where we see the real opportunity,” Freakley said. 

WASHINGTON: The Arabic language spokesperson of the US State Department has resigned, citing her opposition to Washington’s policy related to the war in Gaza, in at least the third resignation from the department over the issue.
Hala Rharrit was also the Dubai Regional Media Hub’s deputy director and joined the State Department almost two decades ago as a political and human rights officer, the department’s website showed.
“I resigned April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service in opposition to the United States’ Gaza policy,” she wrote on social media website LinkedIn. A State Department spokesperson, asked about the resignation in Thursday’s press briefing, said the department has channels for its workforce to share views when it disagrees with government policies.
Nearly a month earlier, Annelle Sheline of the State Department’s human rights bureau announced her resignation, and State Department official Josh Paul resigned in October.
A senior official in the US Education Department, Tariq Habash, who is Palestinian-American, had stepped down in January.
The United States has come under mounting criticism internationally and from human rights groups over its support for Israel amid Israel’s ongoing assault in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.
There have been reports of signs of dissent in the administration of President Joe Biden as deaths continue to grow in the war.
In November, more than 1,000 officials in the US Agency for International Development (USAID), part of the State Department, signed an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire. Cables criticizing the administration’s policy have also been filed with the State Department’s internal “dissent channel.”
The war has also caused intense discourse and anti-war demonstrations across the United States, Israel’s most important ally.
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel has killed over 34,000 people in Hamas-governed Gaza, according to Gaza’s health ministry, leading to widespread displacement, hunger and genocide allegations that Israel denies.