Amazon Alexa received over 140 million requests in 2024 from customers based in KSA and UAE
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Since the launch, three years ago, Amazon Alexa has brought homes around KSA and UAE seamless, hyper-localized experiences in Khaleeji Arabic, catering to their lifestyles, preferences and needs.
Smart Homes take centre stage
Smart home device adoption in KSA and UAE increased by 35%, as more devices get connected through Alexa YoY. This surge in adoption is also reflected in the number of average interactions per customer, reaching over 180 interactions per customer in the UAE and KSA in December 2024 alone.
Entertainment and spirituality, delivered daily
Beyond smart home control, KSA and UAE customers turn to Alexa for a variety of entertainment and spiritual needs. Spirituality remains to be among the most popular topics for customers in KSA and UAE, with over 5.1m prayer reminders and 1.69m 'Athkar' actions.
Football fever
As football continues to rise in popularity in Saudi Arabia, Amazon has recorded over 5 million football-related questions that were made to Alexa by fans across the UAE and KSA. Of all the local clubs, KSA's Al Hilal is considered the most popular footballing team, with its fans interacting with Alexa four times more often than the fans of Al Nasr.
Football fans also show a keen interest in international clubs. Barcelona emerged as the top international team requested through Alexa in KSA and UAE, followed by Real Madrid and Manchester City. These clubs continue to captivate fans in the region, with frequent inquiries about matches and key players.
Localization wins over KSA and UAE customers
Alexa's increasing engagement in the Middle East is attributed to its deep localization efforts, ensuring that the voice service seamlessly integrates into the lives of regional customers. Alexa supports Khaleeji Arabic, a dialect spoken in the Arabian Peninsula, and provides access to a vast array of localized content, including news, music, and skills.
Dr. Raf Fatani, Regional General Manager, Alexa, MENA: 'We're excited to see how our customers in KSA and the UAE are leveraging Alexa's capabilities to simplify and enrich their daily lives. The adoption of Alexa and smart home devices has been truly inspiring. We saw a remarkable 28% growth in Alexa's monthly active customers in KSA and the UAE in 2024. This growth underscores our commitment to customer obsession and long-term thinking. Across the region, customers are embracing ambient intelligence, which seamlessly integrates AI, devices, and services to create experiences that are far greater than the sum of their parts. At Amazon, we believe it's still Day One and we remain committed to inventing on behalf of our customers.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
3 days ago
- Zawya
Egypt: Vaiu secures FRA approval for $202mln securitization program
Arab Finance: U Consumer Finance, known as valU, has received regulatory approval from the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) for a securitization bond program worth EGP 10 billion. The FRA's board granted the license to EFG Securitization, valU's financial advisor, to proceed with the seventh securitization program. The bonds will be issued against valU's future financial rights portfolios, with a ceiling of EGP 13 billion. The FRA stated that the program will span two years from the date of approval and is expected to be executed through up to nine issuances. valU explained that this step aligns with its strategy to diversify funding sources, noting that securitization remains a key financing tool to support business growth and enhance financial flexibility. In a related development, valU had previously disclosed that Amazon exercised its right to acquire a 3.95% direct stake in the company's issued capital. This move, executed under a May 2022 agreement, highlights the confidence of leading global technology players in Egypt's digital financial sector. The agreement granted Amazon the right to purchase $10 million worth of global depository receipts (GDRs) in EFG Hermes Holding, with the option to exchange them for a stake in ValU. The transaction will be finalized during ValU's first trading session on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at EGP 6.041 per share through a block trading, pending regulatory approvals. Founded in late 2017, ValU is a leading financial services technology platform in Egypt. It provides a range of innovative solutions aimed at enhancing customer quality of life and advancing financial inclusion. Its offerings include investment solutions, cashback services, and savings plans across five segments: U, Business, Aqeed, Flip, and Invest. © 2020-2023 Arab Finance For Information Technology. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Gulf Today
Al Nasr, Al Wahda post wins in pre-season friendlies
ADNOC Pro League clubs are intensifying their preparations for the 2025–2026 season by engaging in a series of friendly matches as part of their overseas training camps. These matches are aimed at regaining match sharpness and building the necessary technical cohesion before the official kick-off. Among the 14 clubs competing in the upcoming ADNOC Pro League season, three teams have already confirmed their friendly match schedules in preparation for the new campaign, which includes competition for the ADNOC Pro League title, the Emaar Super Cup, and the ADIB Cup. Al Nasr began their pre-season friendlies in Germany, where they defeated SpVgg Landshut 3-2. The goals were scored by Glauber Lima, Manolo Gabbiadini and Salem Al-Somhi. Al Wahda launched their own friendly campaign with a 4-0 victory over German side Gebenbach in the city of Rieden. Goals came from Bernardo Folha, Omar Khribin, Geronimo Rivera, and Abdulla Hamad. Meanwhile, Al Ain are scheduled to start their training camp in Morocco from July 20 to 29, where they will face Moroccan club Union Touarga. Afterward, they will move to Spain for the second phase of preparations. There, Al Ain will play three friendlies against Elche (Spain), Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia), and Granada in the Granada City Trophy, with matches scheduled for Aug.2, 3, and 9. The rest of the ADNOC Pro League clubs are expected to announce their friendly schedules soon, following in the footsteps of Al Nasr, Al Wahda, and Al Ain. It's worth noting that UAE clubs are conducting their pre-season training camps in six European countries, including Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia, Slovenia, and Austria, in addition to Morocco, which is once again a pre-season destination for Al Ain for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, Al Ain kick off their pre-season preparations campaign with a tour starting in Morocco before heading to Spain. According to the club's official account on X, the camp will begin on July 20, with the first stop in Morocco. During their camp in Morocco, Al Ain will play a friendly match against Moroccan side Ittihad Touarga on July 29 at the Mohammed VI Sports Complex. The team will then head to their second training camp in Spain on July 30, where they are scheduled to play three international friendlies. Al Ain's second pre-season match will take place on Aug. 2 against Spanish side Elche. On Aug. 5, they will face Saudi giants Al Ahli in a highly anticipated Arab clash. The tour concludes on Aug. 9 with a match against Granada CF for the Granada City Cup, after which the team will return to the UAE to prepare for the upcoming season. Under Serbian manager Vladimir Ivic, Al Ain aim to a stronger performance this season as they compete for all available titles to make up for last year's shortcomings. The club has already made significant signings in the summer transfer window, securing six major transfers so far:
Zawya
5 days ago
- Zawya
Amazon CTO: The future is African, but let's educate everyone on AI
Amazon's Chief Technology Officer, Werner Vogels is responsible for driving the company's customer-centric technology vision. Dr Vogels joined the American multinational technology company, which is engaged in e-commerce (it is the world's largest online retailer), cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence, in 2004 from Cornell University, where he was a distributed systems researcher. During his recent visit to Nairobi, he spoke to The EastAfrican about how Amazon envisions its technological and ethical responsibilities in 2025 and beyond, with Africa as a central focus. What drew you to sub-Saharan Africa, and what potential did you observe in terms of digital innovation?I make it a point to visit regions every year, as it's vital to understand how business and innovation evolve globally. Sub-Saharan Africa stood out for me because of its remarkably young and increasingly educated population, particularly in Nigeria, Rwanda and Kenya, where the median age is under 25. Many of these young people are not just tech-savvy but deeply committed to solving real societal challenges through innovation. What excites me most is their focus, not on becoming the next unicorn, but on using technology to address complex problems in health, agriculture and education. Organisations like ALX are playing a crucial role in this transformation by equipping youth with practical, skills-based training that goes beyond formal education. I see enormous potential here. Just as India and Vietnam became global hubs for outsourcing and development, I believe Africa is poised to become the next major force in digital innovation. Amazon has been supporting small modular reactors (SMRs). How do you deal with the historical public scepticism around nuclear energy?The rapid rise of digital technologies presents immense opportunities, but also significant responsibilities, chief among them ensuring our innovations are sustainable. At Amazon, our top priority is to power our infrastructure in a way that does not harm the planet. We achieved 100 percent renewable energy usage across our global operations in 2023, ahead of our 2025 commitment, and remain the world's largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy. However, we recognise that access to renewables is not always immediate or consistent across all regions. That's why we invest in over 600 clean energy projects globally, including solar, wind and geothermal. As part of our exploration into future-ready energy solutions, we are also evaluating the potential of SMRs to contribute to a zero-carbon future. We are aware of the historical concerns surrounding nuclear energy, particularly related to safety and waste management, but recent advancements in reactor design and regulation offer promising new pathways. Similar to how artificial intelligence and other transformative technologies require education and skill development, SMRs will depend heavily on a highly trained workforce to ensure safe and responsible deployment. Ultimately, sustainability is not only about deploying new technologies, it's about building the expertise and systems around them to ensure long-term safety, reliability, and impact. As generative AI and cloud computing rapidly reshape Africa's digital landscape, what role does education play?Education has become an essential foundation for AI, both for individuals and organisations, to harness innovations responsibly and effectively. We strongly believe that continuous learning is critical in a fast-evolving technological world. It's not enough to rely on formal education alone; practical, skills-based training is increasingly vital. Organisations must invest in upskilling their teams and individuals must remain curious and committed to lifelong learning. To support this, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has already trained more than 300,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa in cloud technologies. We actively collaborate with institutions like ALX, which provides AWS certifications, and we work closely with ministries to ensure that universities integrate cloud computing and AI into their curricula. Our goal isn't simply to grow AWS users, it's to empower people to choose the best technology to solve their unique challenges. AI consumes a lot of electricity. In the US, it is expected to account for nine percent of national consumption by 2030. So, how is Amazon planning to future-proof its infrastructure?There are two core strategies we are implementing. First, we've fundamentally transformed the economic model of computing. Traditionally, businesses had to make large upfront investments in infrastructure, often based on uncertain future needs. AWS introduced a pay-as-you-go model that aligns costs directly with resource usage. This model inherently promotes sustainability, by using only what you need, you minimise waste and energy consumption. This is especially relevant in the age of generative AI. Large models with billions or trillions of parameters can be significantly costlier and energy-intensive than smaller, task-specific models. At AWS, we give customers the flexibility to choose the most efficient model for their application, helping reduce both environmental and financial costs. Smaller models can be just as effective for certain use cases while consuming a fraction of the power. Second, our infrastructure innovation is ongoing. We operate millions of servers globally and continuously optimise our data centres for energy efficiency. For instance, by designing our own hardware—including ARM-based Graviton chips and Inferentia AI accelerators, we've achieved up to 50 percent greater energy efficiency compared to general-purpose processors. We've also re-engineered elements of our data centres, such as eliminating unnecessary energy transformations by building power supplies directly into our server architecture. We're also focused on maximising community impact. In Ireland, for example, we repurposed excess heat from our data centres to warm nearby homes, demonstrating how infrastructure can serve both global technology needs and local communities. Ultimately, our view is clear: We cannot accelerate the adoption of powerful technologies like AI without also addressing their environmental impact. You've said a number of times that we're on the cusp of a movement where AI tools empower citizens to verify information in real time. Which tools do you use and how do you ensure that they are not misused?Yes, AI has the potential to empower citizens with tools to verify information in real time. However, this progress also brings with it the risk of misinformation, disinformation and manipulation through deep fakes. One of the major challenges today is the public's access to credible information. People are increasingly relying on social media as their primary news source, studies show that over half of the population in some countries get news from these platforms rather than traditional outlets. Yet, when you compare reports from different international media houses, it's clear that narratives often diverge. This raises a critical question: what constitutes the truth?At Amazon, we take seriously the responsibility of supporting trustworthy digital ecosystems. One of our core leadership principles is: With scale comes broad responsibility. Even if fact-checking isn't our core business, we believe it is our duty to help build the infrastructure that supports transparency and accountability in the digital age. We are exploring how AI can be used to develop better content verification tools, including image recognition, geolocation analysis and real-time media verification systems. These tools could allow users to identify where and when a photo was taken or assess whether a video clip has been digitally manipulated. It is equally important to distinguish between responsibility and ethics. While ethics may evolve with cultural and technological shifts, responsibility is constant. We must design AI technologies that are accountable by default, especially in areas like media integrity and public trust. I believe that the younger generation, digital natives who are passionate about truth and transparency, will lead the charge in developing tools that counter disinformation. At Amazon, we want to support that mission by investing in and helping to scale the responsible technologies that safeguard public discourse. You are a firm advocate of using hyperlocal community-sourced data in building solutions for people, especially in disaster resilience. How might AWS help with this?During my visits to sub-Saharan Africa, I often ask a fundamental question: How accurate are your maps? The reality is that commercial mapping solutions tend to focus on commercially viable regions, leaving vast rural areas underserved. This gap can hinder healthcare delivery, emergency response and disaster recovery. To address this, we actively support initiatives like the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, which gathers essential geographic data in remote regions. Their work enables better coordination of relief efforts and improved infrastructure planning. Notably, their chief technology officer is part of our AWS CTO Fellowship, a programme designed to mentor and equip technologists in mission-driven organisations with the leadership skills and tools needed to scale their impact. We also believe in supporting localised, sustainable solutions. In areas where access to national energy grids is limited, decentralised solar-powered systems, paired with battery storage, offer immediate and scalable impact. During my visits, I've seen first-hand how something as simple as a solar lamp can empower schoolchildren to study at night, transforming educational outcomes in underserved communities. By fostering grassroots innovation and equipping local organisations with advanced tools and mentorship, we strengthen community resilience through technology. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
