Saudi Media Forum opens with AI in focus

The fourth edition of the Saudi Media Forum opened in Riyadh on Wednesday under the theme "Media in an Evolving World", bringing together about 200 speakers for more than 60 specialized media sessions and workshops, along with 11 initiatives and interactive experiences.

In his address, Saudi Arabia's Media Minister Salman bin Yousef al-Dosari welcomed more than 2,000 professionals, including journalists, economists, artificial intelligence specialists and entrepreneurs, to the annual event.

Highlighting the forum's role in showcasing the future of media, al-Dosari urged participants to "write together a new chapter of media".

"The programming and content are marrying together (into) new heights," he said. "(But) a question: How can we confront the future of media in an evolving and challenging landscape?"

To illustrate this, the minister displayed an AI-generated response to the question on a screen — before emphasizing that the real question "started with a human being".

"When we talk about media, we are talking about the future, about the world born from algorithms and AI in which Saudi Arabia will become a global lab for grand ideas," he said.

He stressed the urgency of embracing AI, saying each day without AI "means years of lack of progression".

Highlighting Saudi Arabia's role in media innovation, he said the country is set to host flagship expos that will redefine industry innovation leading up to 2030.

With the huge momentum, al-Dosari said Saudi Arabia welcomed 24 heads of state last year "to create the future for humanity". He added the country has hosted thousands of events and conferences, bringing in 42 million visitors — an average of two events every two hours.

"This is about creating news and headlines," he said.

Such transformations "are not conventional", but are designed "to create an impact internationally, domestically and regionally", he added.

Their slogan, he emphasized, is "we wouldn't wait for the future, but we create the future".

Saudi Prince and Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud reflected on the changes that have happened in Saudi Arabia, citing the country's economic diversification plan, Vision 2030, which was introduced in 2016.

"I will highlight impact-makers (and) change-makers," Abdulaziz said.

"What is available now wasn't available in the past. This is a source of inspiration and we should open up to the world.

"We lost the impact at the national and international level. We weren't effective in providing our services in the past," he said, adding that Saudi Arabia now has an international responsibility to open up to the world.

"If we want this kind of momentum, you have huge media material and right now, we have a different perspective of the entire world," he said.