Saudi Arabia Ranks First Globally in Youth AI Competition, Winning Highest Number of Medals Among 129 Countries

The 2024 World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY) has announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked first in the competition, surpassing 129 countries represented by more than 18,000 students from various educational levels.
 The Kingdom secured 22 medals, including gold, silver, and bronze, as well as special awards, outperforming countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Greece, Canada, and Singapore. This exceptional achievement underscores the Kingdom’s excellence in the fields of data and artificial intelligence (AI) and its commitment to fostering a promising generation skilled in AI technologies.
 A total of 1,298 students from Saudi Arabia participated in the competition, presenting 662 innovative projects that earned the Kingdom the highest number of medals among all participating countries. This remarkable performance was supported by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), which has actively adopted and championed the competition as a national initiative over the years.
 SDAIA’s efforts aim to enhance the capabilities of Saudi youth in learning and applying AI technologies to solve real-world problems. The initiative encourages students to create projects that address practical issues, understand the transformative impact of AI across various fields, and explore opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
 In the medal tally, Saudi Arabia led with 22 awards, followed by the United States with 20 awards. India and Greece each earned 5 awards, while Canada secured 4 awards. The Philippines won 3 awards, the United Arab Emirates 2 awards, and Oman, Australia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom each received 1 award.
 Saudi students from primary, middle, and high school levels represented the Kingdom in the competition. They competed across four tracks: AI Showcase, AI-Generated Art, AI Large Language Model, and AI-Generated Video.
 These results reflect the advanced skill level of Saudi society in AI and its high level of awareness about AI technologies. This aligns with the findings of the sixth edition of Stanford University's AI Index Report 2023, which ranked Saudi Arabia second globally in societal awareness of AI. The ranking was based on a survey that revealed a high level of trust among Saudi citizens in using AI products and services within the Kingdom.