ALKHOBAR: The Kingdom has topped the Middle East and North Africa in the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index 2025, underlining the country’s rapid progress in adopting artificial intelligence across public services, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
The index, one of the world’s leading benchmarks for AI policy and regulatory planning, assesses the ability of 195 governments to deploy and leverage AI in public policy.
It evaluates performance across governance, infrastructure and institutional readiness.
“The Kingdom’s progress is the result of a deliberate whole-of-government approach rather than isolated initiatives,” Abdullah Al-Khodairi, CEO of the Strategy Management Office at the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority told Arab News.
“A clear national direction for AI was set through the National Strategy for Data and AI, aligned with Vision 2030 and executed through a strong institutional model led by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA).
“This model connects policy, regulation, enablement and implementation across government.
“In parallel, Saudi Arabia embedded responsible AI from the outset through the national AI Ethics Framework and international leadership via the International Centre for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) reinforcing trust, transparency and social value as core enablers of AI adoption.”
Saudi Arabia also placed seventh globally in the governance pillar and ninth worldwide for public-sector AI adoption, highlighting balanced development across regulatory frameworks and practical implementation.
The strong showing reflects the Kingdom’s growing role in promoting the responsible use of advanced technologies to improve government efficiency, enhance quality of life and support the objectives of Vision 2030, the SPA added.
The achievement comes amid continued backing for the Saudi Data and AI Authority from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also chairman of SDAIA’s board of directors.
The report highlights Saudi Arabia’s performance in key areas including AI infrastructure, supported by national platforms including HUMAIN.
In addition, it showcases progress in AI governance, public-sector digital transformation and the development of flexible national policies to accelerate technology adoption, the SPA reported.
