RIYADH — Building on an 80-year diplomatic partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Saudi Arabia has established the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) in Riyadh. Operating as a UNESCO category 2 center with full administrative and financial independence, the institution serves as a global hub dedicated to guiding sustainable technology deployment, developing ethical policy frameworks, and closing digital knowledge gaps across developing economies.
The initiative expands Saudi Arabia’s foundational relationship with UNESCO, which dates back to the Kingdom’s participation as one of 20 founding nations in London in 1946. Officially launched in September 2024 following a tripartite agreement involving UNESCO, the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA), and ICAIRE, the center aligns its research directly with UNESCO’s 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence to foster transparency, accountability, and human rights in emerging technologies.
Through specialized global programs, ICAIRE actively expands technological access across the Global South with a targeted emphasis on the Arab region. Key initiatives include the Elevate program, designed to train 25,000 women in artificial intelligence across more than 100 countries by 2027, alongside the 10K Leaders Training Program targeting public-sector officials in collaboration with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO). The center’s Ethical Applied AI Program has already graduated its inaugural cohort of 217 specialists representing 41 countries and territories.
ICAIRE also serves as a founding member of the UN-backed Global AI Capacity Development Network—a coalition of 30 international research bodies working to strengthen institutional governance and bridge global digital divides. Domestically, the center collaborated with SDAIA and the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language to produce the third edition of the Data and Artificial Intelligence Glossary, standardizing over 1,400 technical terms across four languages.
These multilateral efforts positioned Riyadh as the host city for the 4th UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (GFEAI 2026) from September 14 to 17, 2026. Marking the inaugural staging of the global summit within the Arab world, the event brought together international experts to advance responsible tech governance, culminating in ICAIRE calling upon higher education institutions worldwide to adopt a standardized framework for master’s degree curricula in artificial intelligence ethics.
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