Saudi Arabia places the impact question at the heart of the Economic and Artificial Intelligence Forum amid spending and governance

As spending figures accelerate, the hardest question becomes what is actually changing inside companies and services. This question emerged at the opening of the first edition of the Annual Economic Forum in Riyadh, where Mohamed Al-Bishi, editor-in-chief of Al-Iqtisadiyah and forum chair, linked Saudi Arabia’s ambition in artificial intelligence with ethics, governance and the ability to turn opportunities into decisions.

The forum was held at the King Salman Oasis in the capital under the theme “Our Economy and Artificial Intelligence”, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. According to the report published in Al-Iqtisadiyah, it included local and international experts and specialists in artificial intelligence, future foresight and business-model development. However, the core of the opening address was not a celebration of the technology itself, but a shift from asking what it can do to asking how it is used and invested, what it costs and what its returns are.

Numbers Describe a Growing Market

The report quoted Al-Bishi as saying that government spending on communications and information technology services reached about 31.9 billion riyals in 2025, and that government entities’ spending on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies rose 20 percent. In the private sector, he noted that Saudi AI companies attracted roughly $9.1 billion across 70 deals, and that corporate spending on AI exceeded 120 percent. The report also indicated that AI-related business-activity registrations surpassed 24 thousand in 2026, with growth exceeding 31 percent.

These figures appear in an opening statement and are not an independent audit of market accounts. Nevertheless, they explain why artificial intelligence is no longer a file confined to technical teams. Al-Bishi described the technology as a driver of investment, production, services and business models, and as a source of opportunities in productivity, investment and high-skill jobs. As the commercial base expands, questions about return and implementation become daily administrative and economic questions.

Governance Is Not an Add-On to Spending

Al-Bishi said that Saudi Arabia’s ambition extends from investment to ethical leadership and governance, citing the establishment of the International Center for AI Research and Ethics in Riyadh under UNESCO’s patronage. This announcement alone does not demonstrate how governance is applied within each company, nor does it provide new operational rules. However, it sets an announced benchmark for the local debate: expanded use should be paired with questions of responsibility, impact and cost.

That is the direct regional dimension of the material. For a company operating in Saudi Arabia or planning to enter it, talking about a model or tool is not enough. The forum’s discourse makes the ability to link use with efficiency, productivity, product and service development and competitiveness a part of the broader economic discussion. It also sets an expected horizon for partnership with government bodies and the market, rather than a mere race to adopt the latest technology.

From Presentation to Present Decision

The forum agenda included three main sessions on employing artificial intelligence to raise efficiency and productivity, develop products and services, and enhance the competitiveness of Saudi companies locally and globally, according to the report. Sponsors or partners included the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, SDAIA and the King Salman Oasis for Science.

The conclusion is modest but practical: the forum does not announce a new policy nor does it prove future economic results. What it offers is a clear picture of the direction of dialogue in Saudi Arabia, where spending and commercial-activity indicators are coupled with an explicit demand that governance, return and actual use become part of the decision now.