Saudi Arabia ranks first globally in AI security, privacy and cryptography

Saudi Arabia ranks first globally in several artificial intelligence indicators, according to the 2026 AI Index Report by Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.

The report places the Kingdom at the top in security, privacy and cryptography within AI and in female participation across the sector. Women account for 32.3 per cent of AI inventors and authors in Saudi Arabia, ahead of Australia at 30.1 per cent and Canada at 29.6 per cent.

Globally, AI researchers and developers are spread across fields such as healthcare and bioinformatics, computer vision and image processing, and software engineering, each representing at least 10 per cent of activity in several countries.

In Saudi Arabia, 15 per cent of AI inventors work in security, privacy and cryptography, the highest share recorded. India follows with 13 per cent and the UAE with 12 per cent.

The Kingdom is also among a limited number of countries recording a net gain in AI talent, measured by the difference between those entering and leaving the workforce. It showed the fastest growth in AI talent share worldwide, rising by more than 100 per cent between 2019 and 2025.

The report found that workers in emerging economies are the most frequent users of AI tools. More than 80 per cent of respondents in Saudi Arabia, India and the UAE said they regularly use AI at work, with trust levels also higher in these markets.

This contrasts with North America and Europe, where about half of employees report regular use, and trust levels range between 40 and 48 per cent.

Among university students, adoption of generative AI in Saudi Arabia reached 89 per cent, compared with 67 per cent in the US and UK.

The report also pointed to efforts to expand the Kingdom’s AI sector, including a $5 billion investment by Amazon Web Services and Saudi-backed AI company HUMAIN to develop an “AI Zone” in the country.