“No more human errors”: Saudi’s big AI bet

The old bazaar in Riyadh seems to belong to another era. Women in black niqabs glide between the stalls, distinguishable from one another only by height and build. Vendors sell spices, eau de cologne, diamonds, and smoldering bukhoor made from perfumed eaglewood. A Yemeni man selling football stickers and Saudi flags whispers that he has always thought Osama bin Laden was “a great guy.” And when the call to prayer sounds, the stalls are locked up and an eerie silence descends on the deserted streets.

But appearances are deceptive. The desert city is gradually becoming one of the most modern places on earth. Nowhere is the future embraced with such enthusiasm as here. Especially in the field of AI technology, the Saudi kingdom is making quantum leaps. You notice it even before reaching Riyadh. A visa application is approved at lightning speed by an AI assistant. At the airport, you pass through immigration without any human interaction. On the giant screens, an advertising video plays that could have been a trailer for Star Wars. “This land is calling,” a voice says, as a short-haired woman in a futuristic outfit strides across sand dunes and through orientalist sets.

READ ON (Dutch, paywall): https://www.standaard.be/buitenland/geen-menselijke-fouten-meer-nergens-wordt-ai-zo-gretig-ontvangen-als-in-saudi-arabie/75832504.html