Concierge robots set to become reality in the hospitality sector 

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Updated 30 April 2024
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Concierge robots set to become reality in the hospitality sector 

RIYADH: A personal robot concierge is set to become a reality as a new wave of technological innovation takes the spotlight during the Future Hospitality Summit in Riyadh. 

In an interview with Arab News during the event, Janet Adams, chief operating officer of global artificial intelligence company SingularityNET, shared details about a new humanoid robot expected to revolutionize the hospitality sector. 

“One of our projects which we are pioneering right now is the development of a new class of humanoid robots specifically designed for the service industries,” Adam told Arab News. 

“Imagine going to stay in a hotel where you’ve connected with your robot before you go there. They know everything you want. They can greet you at the door because you’ve been chatting as an avatar,” she said. 

“And then after you leave, they can stay in touch with you and they can be like a loyalty ambassador, robotic avatar, friend for life who understands your needs, who understands what you enjoy, who makes everything perfect for you in your stay in the hospitality industry,” Adams added. 

She further explained that the development, known as the Mind Children project, will roll out its pilot in early 2025. 

Furthermore, Adams shared that the company is working on a new breed of technological advancement for AI in language models in the Middle East. 

The company is working with Zarqa, a Middle Eastern AI firm part of SingularityNET’s ecosystem, to significantly improve AI language models.

 “What we’re doing is we’re taking the best of today’s large language model technology, and we’re infusing it with the best of tomorrow’s artificial general intelligence technology, because we’re leaders in the field of artificial general intelligence,” Adams explained. 

“And sometime within the next 12 to 24 months, we expect to see enormous breakthroughs where the limitations of today’s language models are overcome, where we can bring human level reasoning or human style reasoning into our robots and therefore give them the capability to be creative, to understand their environment, to really, truly contribute as a, for example, to hospitality services,” she added. 

During the event, SingularityNET also showcased Desdemona, a humanoid robot and the lead vocalist of Desdemona’s Dream. 

“She runs up a huge array of advanced artificial intelligence models. She’s working with vision, with speech processing. We work with toxicity filters. We work with emotion recognition, facial recognition. We have a variety of AI models, including Markov decision-making and generative adversarial networks,” she explained.  

“And a bunch of the most advanced AI that’s available on the planet. Together. All work together in this, in what looks like a seamless operation of multiple modules working together. She’s truly a highly advanced miracle of modern AI,” Adams added. 


SIDF concludes participation in Momentum 2025

Updated 11 December 2025
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SIDF concludes participation in Momentum 2025

RIYADH: The Saudi Industrial Development Fund concluded its participation in the Development Finance Conference Momentum 2025 organized by the National Development Fund under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, prime minister and chairman of the NDF board.

The event was held from Dec. 9 to 11 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh.

The conference provided a platform to explore the future of development finance and its role in supporting sustainable growth. It brought together leading thinkers, investors, and decision-makers from around the world to discuss key challenges and opportunities, and to exchange experiences that enhance financing tools and maximize their developmental impact.

SIDF participation underscored its active role in supporting economic development through its financing advisory and knowledge-based programs as well as its diverse initiatives designed to meet the needs and aspirations of manufacturers and investors, aligning with the Kingdom's objectives and Vision 2030 targets.

In a panel discussion on the sidelines of the conference, Prince Sultan bin Khalid bin Faisal, CEO of SIDF, highlighted that the fund has, for more than 50 years, continued to develop its financing and advisory tools to empower national industries and enhance their global competitiveness.

He noted that SIDF has supported more than 4200 projects with total disbursements exceeding SR150 billion ($40 billion), attracting investments of nearly SR800 billion.

Prince Sultan added that the fund is currently focused on creating new financing channels in collaboration with government and private entities to provide sustainable funding for the private sector through mechanisms that attract capital and investors.

He said: “We recently launched the world’s largest supply chain financing program in collaboration with Saudi Aramco and the Saudi Electricity Co., benefiting thousands of suppliers and factories.”

SIDF participation culminated in signing a cooperation agreement with the Saudi Arabia Railways to identify opportunities for industrial sector support and to assist investors in localizing goods and services to increase domestic content.

The Momentum 2025 conference reflects the Kingdom's leading role across various development sectors, highlighting the contributions of its development ecosystem in shaping a sustainable developmental future that delivers economic and social impact in line with Vision 2030 objectives.

The conference serves as a platform for collaboration that advances the implementation of development finance solutions, bringing together leaders from government entities, development finance institutions, investors and innovators from within the Kingdom and abroad.

It aims to strengthen partnerships that align capabilities across the system and translate developmental priorities into actionable initiatives, fostering inclusive and sustainable growth.