Experts say success will depend on strong data, governance, trust and clear boundaries for human oversight
Saudi Arabia’s next phase of digital transformation could see artificial intelligence move beyond supporting individual government services to reshaping how public services are designed around citizens’ lives.
The Kingdom has already built strong digital foundations through years of investment in online services, cloud infrastructure and data capabilities under Vision 2030. In the 2024 UN E-Government Development Index, Saudi Arabia ranked sixth globally, placing it among the world’s leading digital governments.
The next challenge is to move from digital government toward an “AI-native” model, in which intelligent systems are embedded into how services operate rather than added later as standalone tools.
Ashwaq Alshathri, managing director of Publicis Sapient Saudi Arabia, said the Kingdom is particularly well positioned for that transition because digital transformation has been treated as a long-term national priority.
“Through Vision 2030, the Kingdom has invested not only in digital infrastructure, cloud capabilities and AI, but also in rethinking how government services can better support citizens and businesses,” she told Arab News. “That creates the conditions to move beyond simply digitizing existing processes and instead redesign how public services are delivered.”
One of the biggest opportunities, Alshathri said, lies in organizing services around major life events rather than requiring citizens to navigate individual government entities.
Citizens typically think about experiences such as starting university, opening a business or growing a family, rather than which ministry is responsible for each step.
“AI creates the opportunity to connect services across government so those experiences become simpler, more personalized and more proactive,” she said. “That’s where the real transformation lies.”
The shift would represent an evolution from the current digital-service model. Instead of repeatedly searching portals, submitting information and determining which entity provides a particular service, AI could connect services behind the scenes and anticipate what users may need next.
Saudi Arabia’s existing digital-government ecosystem provides a foundation for that transition. Absher offers more than 460 services across its individual, business and government platforms, while unified digital identities enable users to access government and private-sector services through Nafath, the national single sign-on platform.
For Alshathri, however, successful AI adoption at scale will require more than deploying individual applications.
The organizations making the greatest progress, she said, are those treating AI as part of broader transformation programs built around modern technology platforms, connected data and effective governance.
“Successful implementation at scale is therefore less about deploying one impressive AI application and more about building the right foundations — modern platforms, connected data and strong governance — that allow innovation to be reused across multiple ministries and services over time,” she said.
As AI systems become increasingly capable of analyzing data and recommending actions, governments will also face a more fundamental question: where should automation end and human judgment begin?
AI is particularly effective at processing large volumes of information, detecting patterns and helping public sector employees make faster decisions, Alshathri said.
Potential applications include analyzing applications, detecting fraud, forecasting demand for government services and helping civil servants retrieve information more efficiently.
But human oversight remains essential when decisions affect people’s rights, livelihoods or wellbeing.
“Areas such as healthcare, social welfare, immigration, justice or complex regulatory decisions require empathy, judgement and accountability,” she said. “AI can support those decisions, but it should not replace human responsibility.”
That balance between automation and accountability is likely to become increasingly important as governments deploy more advanced AI systems.
Trust, Alshathri said, must be embedded into those systems from the outset.
“Governments can only move as fast as citizens trust them,” she said. “That’s why trust cannot be treated as an afterthought — it has to be built into every stage of AI adoption.”
Transparency, accountability, privacy, security and strong data governance will be central to responsible deployment, she said.
Citizens should understand when AI is being used, what role it plays in decisions and where human oversight remains.
Data quality will also be critical. Poor or fragmented information can constrain the effectiveness of AI systems, while sensitive public sector applications require robust rules governing how information is stored, shared and protected.
Alshathri said governments could build confidence by starting with clearly defined use cases, measuring results and communicating their benefits rather than attempting to apply AI everywhere at once.
Looking five years ahead, she expects one of the biggest changes to be less visible than the technology itself.
“I actually think the biggest change will be that citizens notice government less,” she said.
A student, for example, could receive personalized recommendations covering education, scholarships and career opportunities. An entrepreneur could be automatically matched with relevant funding or regulatory support, while a new parent could receive coordinated healthcare, childcare and financial guidance through a connected experience.
The long-term goal, she said, is for AI to fade into the background as services become more seamless.
“For me, success is not that citizens interact with more AI. Success is that accessing government becomes simpler, faster and more intuitive,” Alshathri said. “The technology fades into the background, while the experience becomes more personal, more responsive and ultimately more human.”
As Saudi Arabia moves from digital government toward more intelligent public services, the measure of progress may ultimately be less about how many AI systems are deployed and more about whether citizens experience government as faster, simpler and more connected.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Waad Hussain
Dieser Artikel ist neu veröffentlicht von / This article is republished from: Arab News Japan, 14.08.2026
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