Saudi Arabia is taking a leap forward in the world of artificial intelligence (AI) with the introduction of its first AI-powered robot, Sara.
The robot made its debut at the Kingdom’s Digital Pavilion at the LEAP23 conference in Riyadh, welcoming visitors with its ability to communicate in Arabic and its different dialects, perform popular dances, and respond to inquiries.Sara boasts a built-in camera that uses AI to recognize people standing in front of it.
As soon as a visitor greets the robot with “Hello Sara”, the robot starts a conversation. The pre-trained model in Sara is capable of recognizing different dialects from within the Kingdom, analyzing sentences, and understanding their content, providing the appropriate answer, and sending it in the form of text.
The LEAP23 conference, which is being held from February 6th to 9th, is the second edition of a major technology conference and is expected to attract more than 100,000 attendees from 50 countries.
The conference features 720 speakers and exhibitors, including companies such as Google, Mastercard, Ericsson, and Oracle, who pledged a $1.5 billion investment into Saudi Arabia at the opening of the conference.
In addition to LEAP23, the Kingdom also launched DeepFest, a new co-located event held in partnership with the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). DeepFest brings together drivers of the global AI ecosystem to unveil multi-sector initiatives in a three-day thought-leadership conference, featuring sector-specific tracks, training, live demos, and startup pitches.
Saudi Arabia’s ambition to be at the forefront of emerging tech is evident through its large-scale adoption and ambitious pilot projects. With the LEAP23 conference, the Kingdom aims to showcase its vision on a global stage and become a hub connecting three continents.
The conference is expected to accelerate the adoption of technology and transform Saudi Arabia’s economy by shifting away from oil as the principal economic resource to becoming a regional hub for both traditional and emerging technology.
Celebrity guests, including rapper Will.i.am and footballer Charles Puyol, are also expected to attend the event, adding to the excitement and showcasing the intersection of technology and popular culture
