ICAIRE Classified as UNESCO Category 2 Center

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed today a tri-partite agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics (ICAIRE), under which ICAIRE has been classified as a Category 2 (C2) center under UNESCO's auspices.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the Saudi government by Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President and ICAIRE chairman of the board of director Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, during the first day of the third Global AI Summit, held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh.
Under the agreement, ICAIRE will focus on artificial-intelligence (AI) research and ethics and will operate as an international center under UNESCO's auspices. The C2 designation supports Saudi Arabia’s central role in enhancing international and regional cooperation in AI policies, ethics, and research.
The agreement stipulates that the center will continue to implement regional and global initiatives in the field of AI, including supporting research and development, raising awareness about AI ethics, coordinating policy development related to AI, and supporting capacity-building efforts in the field.
The designation reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to supporting UNESCO’s mission to harness artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity, with a particular focus on developing countries, thereby enhancing the Kingdom's role in achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
The designation of ICAIRE as a C2 center by UNESCO was confirmed by a Cabinet decision on July 25, 2023, approving the establishment of the center in Riyadh, granting legal personality and financial and administrative independence.