Saudi Foreign Minister Joins G7 Session on Frontier AI and Security in Paris

The session looked at what rapid advances in technology and frontier AI models mean for the global strategic environment and international security, and at ways to strengthen international coordination on AI-related risks, the agency said. Participants also discussed how to balance innovation with the safe and responsible development and use of the technology.

The kingdom's presence gives it a seat in one of the main forums where Western governments are setting out their positions on frontier AI. Saudi Arabia is spending heavily to build data centres and computing capacity through its state-backed AI company Humain, and access to advanced US chips depends partly on how Washington and its allies judge security risks.

The G7 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, with the European Union also taking part. Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Korea, Ukraine and Brazil are attending the two-day meeting, whose agenda also covers the Russia-Ukraine war, the conflict involving Iran and energy.

On the sidelines, Prince Faisal met his counterparts from Germany, South Korea, France and Britain. His talks with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband covered freedom of navigation and the safety of maritime corridors, while his meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot focused on Houthi attacks on the kingdom. With South Korea's Cho Hyun he discussed cooperation between the two countries and regional issues.

The Saudi Press Agency did not say whether the kingdom made any commitments on AI at the session, and no joint statement on the AI discussion had been published by Monday evening.