RIYADH: Saudi Arabia ranks third globally in the development of leading artificial intelligence models, according to the Saudi Data and AI Authority, reflecting the Kingdom’s growing position in the rapidly evolving AI sector.
According to SDAIA, Saudi Arabia had developed eight large language models by 2025, five of them considered world-leading. These include national models such as ALLaM, alongside specialized models developed by other Saudi entities.
The authority also said 58 AI applications had been developed locally by 2025. Meanwhile, the BALSAM index, developed in collaboration with more than 10 institutions, has been used to evaluate 20 Arabic-language AI models.
Saudi Arabia’s progress is also reflected in international rankings. The Kingdom placed 15th out of 195 countries in the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index 2025 and ranked 19th globally in the 2025 AI Index published by Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.
While highlighting the Kingdom’s achievements, SDAIA said the future of artificial general intelligence, or AGI, remains uncertain, with experts differing on both its definition and the likelihood of its development.
AGI refers to AI systems capable of learning, adapting and performing a wide range of cognitive tasks at a level comparable to human abilities.
The authority said recent advances, particularly in generative AI, have fueled predictions about when AGI could emerge.
