Riyadh, July 21, 2024 – The performance index for Saudi government agencies in adopting emerging technologies has shown a significant improvement of 10% compared to last year. The index rose from 60.35% in 2023 to 70.70% in 2024, driven by an increase in the number of participating government agencies, which grew from 13 last year to 35 this year.
This development was highlighted in the annual report published by the Digital Government Authority, which sheds light on the readiness of government entities to adopt emerging technologies in 2024.
The rise in the adoption index reflects the expanded participation and growing interest in line with the Kingdom’s aspirations to enhance innovation and support modern technologies. It also underscores the Kingdom’s commitment to sustainable development and building an advanced digital future as part of Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia has harnessed its capabilities to lead the global digital transformation, making it a cornerstone of its future vision.
The report demonstrated progress in various competencies for adopting emerging technologies. Research capability achieved a rate of 72.04%, communication capability reached 71.88%, proof capability recorded 70.84%, and integration capability achieved 67.93%, reflecting advanced levels of development.
In terms of specific emerging technologies, drones have been instrumental in aerial photography and creating real estate maps, saving time and effort and increasing operational efficiency by 80%. Virtual and augmented reality technologies have improved the digital experience for people with special needs, enhancing their access to digital services. Digital twinning of industrial cities has accurately cataloged assets in 22 out of 36 industrial cities. Additionally, “Ameen – The Digital Human” has served more than 36,000 clients monthly.
Firefighting robots have reduced material losses by up to 50%, and the “Inam Chain” application, based on blockchain technology, has provided a secure way to manage livestock data in the Kingdom.
This growing interest in adopting emerging technologies coincides with a significant shift in digital governance in the Kingdom. The government is leveraging the latest technologies to offer better services to citizens, residents, and visitors, playing a pivotal role in the journey towards future transformation.
Saudi Arabia has integrated many emerging technologies into government services to improve efficiency, automate some government services, save time and effort, and enhance transparency. Among the leading emerging technologies used in digital governance globally are artificial intelligence, which improves government services, the Internet of Things for data collection and analysis, virtual reality for providing interactive experiences for citizens, and 3D printing for manufacturing device parts and components.
Notably, Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in the Government AI Readiness Index, one of the global AI classification indices published by Tortoise Intelligence, which measures over 60 countries worldwide. Germany ranked second, and China came third in this index.
Saudi Arabia achieved a 100% score in the index criteria, which prominently include the presence of a dedicated and approved national AI strategy, a government agency specifically for AI, special funding and budget for AI, and the establishment and monitoring of national AI targets.
