IBM: an iconic American company. Saudi Arabia: A leader in the Arabic-speaking world. Together, the two represent a formidable team in the future of Arabic technology.
In mid-2024, the corporation and government announced their cooperation in the development of AI language technology capable of capturing Arabic in all its detail, variations, and nuances. The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) project utilizes “SDAIA's Arabic Large Language Model (LLM), known as ALLaM, into IBM's established AI and data platform, WatsonX,” according to Business Start Up Saudi Arabia.
It’s no secret that Arabic is a difficult language for AI pioneers. Its many dialects, right-to-left format, flowing script, and dearth of training materials all present challenges. But work continues aggressively as Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries make technology a centerpiece of their economic agenda.
“This collaboration is a significant milestone in promoting the Arabic language within the realm of generative AI. It ensures that both public and private sectors can benefit from deploying Arabic language models, aligning with the cultural and linguistic needs of the region,” said Ayman AlRashed, Regional Vice President of IBM Saudi Arabia, in a press release. “This progress empowers businesses across the Kingdom and the broader Arab world with unique services and strengthens Saudi Arabia’s position as a leader in AI technology tailored to the unique requirements of its market.”
According to The New York Times, the initiative places IBM and Saudi Arabia in the middle of a high-stakes global game that could rebalance economic power. And the country is well-positioned to deliver on those goals given its wealth and abundant oil. For Arabic scientists and leaders, however, it represents a more personal goal: an opportunity to revive the famed era of flourishing sciences between the 8th and 13th centuries.
“It would be lovely to contribute to a new world and resurrect this golden age,” Jürgen Schmidhuber, AI program head at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, told The New York Times. “Yes, it will cost money, but there’s a lot of money in this country.”
The IBM and Saudia Arabia collaboration, announced on the main stage of Think Boston 2024, is particularly exciting due to ALLaM’s expansive capabilities retrieving and generating content in several Arabic dialects, according to Business Start Up Saudi Arabia.
“Since the announcement of ALLaM last year, our objective has been to enhance Arabic language capabilities within AI development, reinforcing the Kingdom’s position as a global leader in AI. This collaboration will serve as a catalyst for further technological advancements. At the heart of this transformation is the adoption of generative AI, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead in partnership with IBM to propel the region into a new era of digital excellence.” said H.E. Dr. Esam Alwagait, Director of the National Information Center at the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), in a press release.
The technology benefits from hundreds of millions of Arabic and English articles, overcoming the fundamental challenge of securing Arabic-language training material. Researchers envision a host of applications, from customer service interactions in the burgeoning MENA ecommerce industry to spontaneously generated video game experiences to hyper-efficient programming.
“I hereby invite all dreamers, innovators, investors and thinkers to join us, here in the kingdom, to achieve our ambitions together,” Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a 2020 speech, The New York Times reports.