Samraj and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development partner to reshape social services with AI at LiB
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In the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development’s pavilion at the LiB tech conference, the demos were not merely prototypes but live translations of a strategy that has moved from ambition to implementation. The Samraj partnership with the ministry, which spans several digital platforms, unveiled a new phase: the launch of the unified Social Development sector platform, the AI-powered “Integration and Empowerment Agent,” and the unified employee app “Ma‘ak.”
The meeting that brought Samraj together with Sultan Al-Hamrani, director of business needs and development at the ministry, put a finger on the wound: how does AI shift from a slogan to a tool that serves the beneficiary directly? Al-Hamrani’s answer was practical: “We have clear strategic priorities, and the unified Social Development sector platform that was launched recently brings the sector’s various platforms together under a single platform, and this supports the Digital Government Authority’s initiative to unify platforms.”
Unified Platform for the Social Sector
The new platform is not merely a technical veneer; it is the foundational step toward integrated government services. Instead of the beneficiary moving between separate portals, the journey becomes unified, which in itself saves time and effort for the groups most in need of support. The ministry looks ahead: “We aim to build on this foundation by introducing more AI capabilities and improving how beneficiaries access their services and experience them.”
Artificial Intelligence in the Service of Inclusion
The most prominent aspect of Al-Hamrani’s remarks is directing AI toward groups that need extra support: “Instead of asking a person with a disability to navigate multiple instructions and steps, services can be accessed through a simple interactive conversation with AI. An elderly beneficiary can also interact by voice.” These are not ancillary features, but a redesign of the journey from a beneficiary-first perspective.
Partnership Condition: Understanding Reality Before Technology
When Al-Hamrani was asked what the ministry expects from its technology partners, the answer was decisive: “We look for partners who understand the beneficiary’s reality before the technology itself. Understanding the question is part of the answer.” The ministry serves groups that require care and direct support, so “their digital journeys must be as simple as possible, and that requires partners who understand who we serve and translate those needs into appropriate technology.”
This “beneficiary first” principle is not a slogan; it manifested in the smart “Integration and Empowerment Agent” showcase and in the unified “Ma‘ak” employee app, both of which demonstrated how technology can disappear behind the service, becoming invisible while the impact remains tangible.
What This Means for Saudi Arabia and the Region
Digital transformation in Saudi Arabia’s social sector is not an isolated experiment; it is a model for how to employ AI in government services with direct human impact. When a ministry of this size links its platforms and entrusts AI with simplifying access for people with disabilities and the elderly, it sets a benchmark that other Arab ministries and agencies can follow: technology serving people, not the other way around.
The partnership with Samraj, a Saudi company specialized in digital solutions and AI, adds a sovereign dimension: building local capabilities that understand cultural and regulatory particularities and translate them into products that operate in the Saudi context rather than being imported ready-made.