The Global AI Summit will return to Riyadh for its fourth edition from 15 to 17 September 2026, gathering government leaders, policymakers and the chief executives of major technology firms around the strategy, governance and investment case for artificial intelligence.
Organised by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, the summit has become one of the region's principal venues for setting AI policy direction. Previous editions produced concrete institutional outcomes, including the establishment of an international centre for AI research and ethics in Riyadh.
Why it matters to executives
As artificial intelligence moves from pilot projects to board-level strategy, the Global AI Summit gives leaders a direct line to the regulators and national programmes shaping how the technology will be governed and funded across the Gulf. For chief executives, chief technology officers and boards, the discussions signal where public investment and rule-making are heading, which increasingly determines what is possible commercially in the region.
The concentration of ministers, sovereign technology bodies and global platform leaders also makes the summit a practical setting for partnership and investment conversations that are hard to convene anywhere else in the region.
Event details
Dates: 15 to 17 September 2026
Location: King Abdulaziz International Conference Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Organizer: Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)
Official site: globalaisummit.org
