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. 


UNCTAD, Social Development Bank launch fellowship to power Saudi entrepreneurs

Updated 23 December 2025
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UNCTAD, Social Development Bank launch fellowship to power Saudi entrepreneurs

RIYADH: The Social Development Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding with UN Trade and Development to launch the “Empretec Saudi Fellowship,” a new initiative aimed at equipping high-potential Saudi entrepreneurs with advanced training and tools to scale their ventures.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the second edition of the DeveGo 2025 forum, held on Dec. 21–22 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh. The event brought together entrepreneurs, policymakers, and representatives from regional and international organizations, alongside public and private sector leaders.

Featuring more than 150 exhibitors, 85 speakers, and 45 workshops, the forum focused on sharing local and global best practices and strengthening the Kingdom’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Empretec Saudi Fellowship is part of UNCTAD’s flagship capacity-building program to promote entrepreneurship and support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and startups. Active in more than 40 countries, the program seeks to develop personal entrepreneurial behaviors through intensive training, access to international experts, and technical tools that help transform promising ideas into scalable, high-impact businesses.

Rebeca Grynspan, UNCTAD secretary-general, said Saudi Arabia offers fertile ground for entrepreneurial growth.

“Saudi Arabia has a wonderful platform to bring everybody up, and the entrepreneurs here are so eager. They have ideas, creativity, and energy,” she told Arab News. “If they come through our program with the Social Development Bank, which does a wonderful job, they will be more successful — because that’s what we want.”

In his opening remarks, Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi, who also chairs the SDB board, highlighted the rapid evolution of the Kingdom’s startup landscape.

“The Kingdom is witnessing a qualitative transformation in the entrepreneurship and freelance ecosystem, enabling young men and women to enter new promising sectors such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy, advanced technologies, and venture capital,” he said. “This provides broader opportunities to contribute to innovation, expansion, and global competitiveness.”

During a tour of the exhibition alongside Al-Rajhi, Grynspan met a wide range of small and medium-sized businesses and handicraft makers, praising the depth of local talent. She noted that participants spanned the full spectrum of enterprises — from early-stage ventures to more established and sophisticated companies — reflecting a rich diversity of experience.

Al-Rajhi said the Social Development Bank invests more than SR8 billion annually to support enterprises and entrepreneurs, helping raise employment in bank-financed businesses from about 12,000 in 2021 to more than 140,000 in 2025.

Beyond financing, the bank runs several non-financial programs, including the Jada 30 business communities, which have incubated more than 4,300 enterprises across 13 cities, and the Dulani Business Center, which has delivered over 67,000 consultations benefiting more than 150,000 male and female entrepreneurs.

Speaking on the broader economic outlook, Grynspan added: “This is a wonderful place to come. Now is an economy that is thriving, is a population that is hopeful. And you have these young, talented people that are only waiting for an opportunity to make it happen for everybody.”

During the forum, the bank also signed multiple cooperation agreements spanning key sectors such as finance, education, energy, healthcare, heritage, the nonprofit sector, and freelance work. The partnerships align with SDB’s strategy to build an integrated system of financial and non-financial empowerment tailored to the needs of entrepreneurs, startups, and micro-enterprises.