President Donald Trump’s landmark visit to Saudi Arabia was more than a geopolitical photo opportunity or a transactional alliance around defense and energy. It marked an inflection point in a rapidly changing global landscape – one where artificial intelligence (AI) now occupies center stage in shaping the future of nations. As headlines focused on the symbolism of Trump’s outreach to the Islamic world, a deeper, quieter revolution was already unfolding behind the scenes – the birth of a new era where global partnerships are forged not just around shared security interests, but around shared aspirations for technological transformation.

Saudi Arabia, long recognized for its strategic energy reserves, is now positioning itself as a pioneer in the AI domain. This pivot is not accidental. It reflects a broader ambition: to future-proof the Kingdom’s economy and political structure by embedding cutting-edge technologies into the fabric of national governance and industry. Yet, amid the construction of sovereign data infrastructure, large language models (LLMs), and gleaming smart city projects like NEOM, an essential question remains insufficiently addressed: Who truly owns the AI revolution?

Too often, the narrative surrounding artificial intelligence is monopolized by technologists. In Western tech centers like Silicon Valley, AI has been portrayed as a highly specialized discipline – one governed by neural networks, GPU clusters, and machine learning frameworks. While these elements are indeed crucial, their dominance in public discourse has created a dangerously narrow perception. AI is not simply a technological breakthrough; it is a societal transformation – and one that must include everyone.

When the American Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Quantum (AIAIQ) was established in 2016, it recognized the urgent need to recalibrate this discourse. At the time, AI was still largely confined to........

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