Saudi Arabia Scales AI in National Education to Boost Student Skills
As Saudi Arabia accelerates toward the goals of Vision 2030, the Kingdom is positioning technology—particularly artificial intelligence—as a cornerstone of its education reform strategy. By embedding AI across the national curriculum, policymakers aim to equip more than 6 million general education students with future-ready skills.
To achieve this, government bodies and private sector leaders have aligned efforts to integrate AI education into classrooms across the country. A collaborative initiative launched in 2025 brings together the National Centre for Curriculum, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).
The initiative is designed not only to teach students how to use AI tools, but to enable them to learn through AI-driven platforms. Teachers, too, are central to the transformation.
Starting Early, Thinking Long-Term
At the International Conference on Data and AI Capacity Building organized by SDAIA, participating entities outlined their progress and future ambitions, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s drive to become a global hub for AI-enabled education.
Bedour Alrayes, deputy CEO of the Human Capability Development Program under Vision 2030, highlighted the importance of embedding AI into learning pathways early and systematically. “It’s not about how they learn AI, it’s about how they practice it,” Alrayes told Arab News.
She described a structured model that begins in elementary school. “When we talk about K-12, we start by enabling digital curriculum from the fourth grade, also AI curriculum in schools. We enable teachers to know how to use AI tools, and we have gamification tools where they use AI, including after-school activities and customized learning journeys,” she said.
Alrayes stressed the importance of maintaining a balance between technological advancement and human engagement, describing the approach as a “human-centric partnership” between people and AI. The strategy spans the full education continuum—from K-12 to university—and extends into lifelong learning and professional development, ensuring Saudi citizens remain competitive in a rapidly evolving global economy.
A National Framework
SDAIA has further strengthened this ecosystem with the introduction of the Saudi Academic Framework for AI Qualifications, a national benchmark guiding the development, evaluation, and accreditation of AI programs in higher education. The framework has drawn interest from international technology firms eager to contribute to the Kingdom’s transformation.
Private Sector Partnership
Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM’s vice president and chief impact officer, pointed to growing demand for AI capabilities in the local market. “We launched our AI skilling programs just a few years ago, and as of last year we had already skilled 500,000 people,” she told Arab News.
“What I love is that there’s such demand here. People are eager to learn, eager to grow and eager to take advantage of AI skills. It’s also because it’s being led by the government, corporations and universities; everyone is aligned with Vision 2030 and they want to make sure their citizens are ready to take advantage of those opportunities.”
IBM collaborates with leading institutions including King Saud University and Princess Nourah University, delivering AI education and certification programs to faculty and students alike. The company has set an ambitious target: skilling 1 million Saudis by 2030.
Why This Matters
For Saudi students, the integration of AI into national education means learning environments that adapt to individual needs, curricula that reflect technological reality, and skills that match employer demands. For teachers, it means new tools for lesson design and new approaches to student engagement.
For the Kingdom as a whole, the education transformation represents an investment in its most valuable resource: human capability. Vision 2030’s goals—economic diversification, reduced reliance on oil, global competitiveness—depend on a population equipped to achieve them.
The work continues. Curricula are being developed. Teachers are being trained. Partnerships are being formed. And 6 million students, from fourth grade through university, are beginning to learn not just about AI, but with it—preparing for a future that is arriving faster than anyone anticipated.
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