
AI Lab Opens in Jeddah to Empower Entrepreneurs
The program offers a range of activities, including sessions with professionals on implementing AI through real-world applications and expert-led mentorship, SPA reported.
Participants engage in practical exercises to develop their startups using AI.
The lab also provides opportunities for visitors to receive specialized advice and learn from the experiences of seasoned entrepreneurs.
This initiative aligns with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to support entrepreneurship, increase the contribution of small and medium enterprises to the national economy, and promote digital transformation.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Pakistan to start receiving Hajj 2026 applications today
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will begin on Monday the process of receiving applications for Hajj 2026 under the government scheme, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday. Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims. Of this, 129,210 seats have been allocated for the government scheme and the rest for private tour operators, Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf announced on July 30. Under the government Hajj scheme, pilgrims can avail either a long Hajj package of 38–42 days or a short package that consists of a duration of 20–25 days, with the estimated cost of the government's Hajj package ranging from Rs1,150,000 to Rs1,250,000 [$4,049.93 to $4,236]. 'Hajj applications can be submitted through designated banks and online portal,' the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported, citing Religious Affairs Ministry spokesman Muhammad Umar Butt. 'Fresh applicants may apply from 11th to 16th of this month if seats remain available.' Individuals, registered on a first come, first served basis, can deposit the first installment of their Hajj dues by Saturday, August 9, according to the report. The second installment will be collected from November this year. 'Receipt of Hajj dues will immediately be stopped once all the seats are filled,' Butt said. Saudi Arabia had approved a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Pakistan this year as well, but a large portion of the private Hajj quota for 2025 remained unutilized due to delays by tour operators in meeting payment and registration deadlines, while the government fulfilled its full allocation of over 88,000 pilgrims. Private operators attributed the shortfall to technical issues, including payment processing problems and communication breakdowns.


Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Leejam, SURJ sign MoU to elevate Saudi sports
Leejam Sports Company, a network of sports and fitness centers in Saudi Arabia and a publicly listed company, and SURJ Sports Investment, a sports investment company in the Kingdom, have announced the signing of an MoU to accelerate growth and innovation across the Kingdom's dynamic sports ecosystem, particularly in fitness and community engagement. Signed by Abdulelah Al-Nemr, CEO of Leejam Sports Company, and Danny Townsend, CEO of SURJ Sports Investment, the agreement reflects a shared ambition to elevate sports participation, scale innovation, expand access to world-class fitness experiences, and activate new models of community engagement and wellness innovation — in line with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to build a more active, inclusive, and healthier society. Partnering with SURJ aligns with our strategic vision to foster active lifestyles, deliver value for shareholders, and contribute to KSA's socioeconomic goals, says Abdulelah Al-Nemr, Board Member and CEO, Leejam Sports Company The agreement outlines a broad framework for collaboration across six key areas: stadia and fitness facility operations, co-investment in sports properties, sponsorship and brand engagement, community activation and mass participation, data and technology integration, and co-creation of content and media production. Abdulelah Al-Nemr, board member and CEO of Leejam Sports Company, said: 'This MoU marks a pivotal step in Leejam's journey to further solidify our role as a catalyst for Saudi Arabia's wellness transformation. Partnering with SURJ aligns with our strategic vision to foster active lifestyles, deliver value for shareholders, and contribute meaningfully to the Kingdom's socioeconomic goals. We look forward to harnessing our national footprint and digital platforms to scale this collaboration across communities and sports disciplines.' Danny Townsend, CEO of SURJ Sports Investment, said: 'Leejam's scale and expertise in fitness and wellness make them a natural partner as we continue to grow Saudi Arabia's sports ecosystem. This MoU reflects our shared commitment to participation, performance, and innovation, and to unlocking opportunities that go beyond traditional investment models. From stadiums to digital assets, and from community challenges to elite content, we're excited to explore how we can bring the power of sport closer to more people across the country.' As Saudi Arabia's largest and trusted network of fitness centers, operating under the 'Fitness Time' brand, Leejam brings unparalleled market reach and operational capabilities. Through this partnership, Leejam will assess opportunities to operate or support fitness and wellness zones within SURJ-backed facilities, and to activate programming aligned with SURJ's investments in major sports events and leagues. The MoU also covers exploratory co-investment models in sports IP, as well as leveraging Leejam's national footprint to scale SURJ-led activations and co-host fitness activations that promote grassroots participation in sports. Additional areas of focus in the MoU include sponsorship engagement opportunities, ranging from access to Leejam facilities and athlete visibility within gym environments to joint sports promotion campaigns and sponsorship for SURJ-owned IP. A core pillar of the partnership includes data and technology collaboration, enabling both entities to share insights on performance metrics, gym technologies, and digital engagement tools, as well as co-development of short-form and live fitness content across platforms. This announcement comes at a time of rapid progress for Saudi Arabia's sports sector. Nearly 50 percent of Saudis are now engaged in weekly physical activity, up from just 13 percent in 2015, while the number of multi-sport clubs has surged from nine to 126, and sports federations have tripled to reach 98. Women's participation in sport in Saudi Arabia has seen extraordinary growth, with a 149 percent increase since 2015 and more than 330,000 registered female athletes today.


Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
How high is the risk of cyber incident in your organization?
One of the core reasons businesses remain vulnerable to cyberthreats is that they underestimate their risk or overestimate the strength of their existing defenses. According to a recent Kaspersky survey titled 'Cybersecurity in the workplace: Employee knowledge and behavior,' 45.5 percent of professionals surveyed in Saudi Arabia, whose work requires the use of computers, assess the risk of a cybersecurity incident happening to their company as quite possible. Commenting on the probable consequences of a cybersecurity incident, 52 percent of employees surveyed supposed that it might seriously affect the company. This understanding of risks comes not only from general cybersecurity awareness, but also from knowledge about cyber incidents in their organizations: 30.8 percent of respondents acknowledged such incidents happened in the past 12 months, while an additional 29.8 percent said they have heard about these incidents from colleagues. Organizations nowadays face a variety of cyberthreats ranging from phishing and business email compromise to ransomware and advanced persistent threats. In a lot of these attacks, the entry point into the organization's network is via a human mistake, and it is for that reason attackers actively employ social engineering techniques and AI tools to make their efforts more effective. The survey shows that the majority of respondents understand that cybersecurity is an issue that should be considered by the IT department, while 33.8 percent also mentioned top level executives and 18.8 percent cited legal and financial employees as core groups within the business who should keep cybersecurity issues in mind. Only 28.5 percent of employees surveyed viewed cybersecurity as an issue that should be considered by all employees across the entire business. 'In today's digital landscape, cybersecurity is a collective responsibility that extends beyond the IT department. Every employee should remain vigilant against evolving threats. Regular cybersecurity training, use of relevant IT solutions, well-defined policies and an incident response plan are essential pillars of organizational cyber resilience. When every team member is informed and prepared, the organization stands stronger against cyberthreats,' said Toufic Derbass, managing director for the META region at Kaspersky. To help organizations strengthen their defenses, Kaspersky recommends the following: • Employee education and cybersecurity training is necessary as human error is a common cause for cybersecurity breaches. Solutions such as Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform can help with practical cybersecurity skills such as recognizing phishing emails and suspicious links. • Upskill cybersecurity teams with Kaspersky online trainings, and with Kaspersky Threat Intelligence. In addition, Kaspersky's Digital Footprint Intelligence can help with monitoring external threats for companies' assets, strengthening defense against credential leaks. • Implement robust monitoring and cybersecurity solutions, for example from the Kaspersky Next product line. • Set up offline backups that intruders cannot misuse, and make sure you can access them quickly in an emergency. • Implement security policies for employees, from password and software installation policies to network segmentation. • Foster a culture of security: encourage employees to report suspicious activity without fear of blame, reward proactive security behaviors to reinforce good habits, for example during phishing simulations.