In a recent episode of the CAIO Podcast, Abdullah Althawad, data analytics senior director at Takamol Holding, shared insights into his journey through the AI and data analytics space, particularly focusing on Saudi Arabia’s efforts in becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence. With over a decade of experience, Althawad has held prominent positions, including serving as the data analytics and AI journal manager at SDAIA (Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority) and has held various data science and engineering positions throughout his career.
Althawad’s path to the AI field began as a telecom engineer developing radar systems in the UK, which led him to a fascination with pattern recognition—a precursor to AI. He furthered his education with a master’s degree from Northwestern University before returning to Saudi Arabia to join SDAIA during its formative years.
Althawad spoke extensively about the pivotal role of SDAIA in Saudi Arabia’s AI and data landscape. “We boosted the data and AI scene in Saudi Arabia,” he explained, noting that the authority has three primary arms: research, operations, and regulation. One of the most prominent aspects of SDAIA’s work is the regulation of AI and data privacy, akin to the European GDPR. “The country has a minister dedicated to data and AI, showing the seriousness with which Saudi Arabia is addressing these technologies.”
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Althawad also shared that the organization’s operations include the development and deployment of several key solutions, most notably the Tawakkalna app, which was used to manage the COVID-19 lockdown. The app has since evolved into a “super app” where Saudi residents can access a range of government services, from viewing IDs and legal documents to tracking the grades of children. This centralized system has significantly improved the quality of life for residents by offering a one-stop shop for all government-related information.
Shifting to his current role at Takamol Holding, Althawad described how the company is working on digital transformation projects for Saudi Arabia’s labor market. Takamol has been a long-time partner of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and one of its notable contributions is the QIWA system, which essentially manages all work contracts between employers and employees across the country. This system has helped enhance transparency and compliance within the labor market.
Looking forward, Takamol is integrating AI into its labor market initiatives, with 2025 being dubbed as “The Year of AI.” “I’m super proud to work in a company that truly values the human input, and we don’t view humans, whether within Takamol or within the labor market, as a disposable resource. We are not forgetting about the human part of this journey,” Althawad noted.
A significant challenge in AI development, especially in regions outside the West, is ensuring that technology reflects local languages and cultures. Althawad highlighted that Saudi Arabia is developing its own national large language model, Allam, to preserve the Arabic language and culture in the face of global AI advancements. “When ChatGPT was first released in 2022, only 0.04% of its content was Arabic,” he explained. “And fun fact, in Takamol, we are also developing services for other languages as well, Urdu, Hindi, Turkish, Philippines and other languages because our labor market (…) is multinational,” he added.
The model is part of a broader initiative to ensure that the country’s AI technologies are culturally sensitive and inclusive of the rich history embedded in the Arabic language. Althawad emphasized, “We want machines to speak Arabic properly and preserve our culture.”
As AI transforms industries, there is a growing concern about job displacement and the need for workforce reskilling. Althawad acknowledged that AI could potentially replace certain jobs, but emphasized that Takamol is actively working to upskill the labor force to adapt to new technologies. “They are designing sector-specific journeys and courses to make sure that that sector is up skilled enough to face the new technologies and to implement its mandate in a proper way,” he shared.
Saudi Arabia’s rapid strides in AI can be attributed to its young, digitally native workforce and its energy resources. Althawad pointed out, “Around 70% of Saudi Arabia’s population is under 30, and that is a huge advantage when it comes to adopting new technologies.” Additionally, the country’s status as a global leader in both conventional and renewable energy further supports its AI ambitions. “Using AI will hopefully help us reach those objectives by 2030 and subsequent objectives beyond 2030,” he stated.
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In discussing the future of AI, particularly with large language models, Althawad acknowledged the growing influence of open-source technologies. “I truly believe open source will eventually win this race,” he said, noting that many businesses are beginning to leverage open-source models for cost-effectiveness and greater control over data privacy.
When asked about the challenges of integrating AI into enterprises, Althawad offered practical advice: “AI is not a standalone technology; it’s there to augment other (existing) services.” He emphasized that companies should treat AI as a complementary tool, much like adding ‘salt to food’— “Salt is great, but if you add too much salt, you’re ruining your dish. If you have no salt, you’re ruining your dish as well. So you need to incorporate just enough components that are AI-based.”