Saudi Arabia is making significant strides in artificial intelligence with the introduction of Humain Chat, developed by Humain, a company owned by the Public Investment Fund. This launch signals a move toward homegrown innovation, aiming to create digital solutions that reflect Saudi identity and serve global users.
For years, Arabic speakers have found themselves overlooked by mainstream AI technologies. Humain Chat, powered by the Arabic large language model Allam B34, seeks to address this gap by providing a platform tailored for the Arab world. The launch event in Riyadh featured Humain CEO Tareq Amin and Jonathan Ross, CEO of Groq, who highlighted their partnership and commitment to deploying open-source AI models in the Kingdom.
Tareq Amin emphasized Humain’s agile approach, noting the company’s rapid growth and its roster of over 130 international clients. He pointed out that Saudi Arabia’s affordable energy, vast land, and expanding connectivity position it as a future leader in AI infrastructure.
Humain Chat is designed for the 400 million Arabic speakers and the broader Muslim community, offering content creation, learning, and communication in culturally relevant contexts. Key features include:
- Real-time web search
- Voice input in various Arabic dialects
- Seamless switching between Arabic and English
The platform also ensures compliance with Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law by operating entirely on domestic infrastructure.
This application is the first in the Humain IQ suite, a collection of next-generation AI products focused on responsible design.
The Allam B34 Model: Setting a New Standard
The Allam B34 model, developed in collaboration with the National Center for AI under the Saudi Data and AI Authority, has been independently recognized by Cohere as the most advanced Arabic-language AI model to date. It is bilingual, trained on a vast Arabic dataset, and refined with input from more than 600 experts and 250 reviewers, ensuring both linguistic fluency and cultural sensitivity.
Created by a diverse team of over 120 specialists, including 35 PhDs and a balanced gender representation, Allam B34 stands as both a national milestone and a global offering. Humain encourages users to engage with the platform and contribute to its ongoing development, with plans for broader regional and international expansion.
Investing in AI Talent: The Humain Academy
Alongside this technological advancement, Dr. Yasser Al-Onaizan, Executive Vice President for Data and AI Models at Humain, announced the upcoming Humain Academy. This initiative aims to nurture local AI talent by offering specialized training programs, complementing existing government and university efforts. The academy will leverage Humain’s expertise and global connections to prepare young Saudis for leadership roles in AI.
These developments underline Saudi Arabia’s ambition to build a robust, locally-driven AI ecosystem, empowering its citizens and positioning the Kingdom as a leader in digital innovation.
