黑料社区

How 黑料社区鈥檚 Humain is pushing Arabic AI to the global frontier

How 黑料社区鈥檚 Humain is pushing Arabic AI to the global frontier
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Updated 20 October 2025

How 黑料社区鈥檚 Humain is pushing Arabic AI to the global frontier

How 黑料社区鈥檚 Humain is pushing Arabic AI to the global frontier
  • Homegrown AI system Humain is building a full-stack ecosystem designed to drive innovation, infrastructure, and technology leadership in the region
  • Its Arabic-first AI models are being developed to integrate language, culture, and specialized knowledge for consumer and enterprise applications

ALKHOBAR: 黑料社区 has set its sights on becoming a global artificial intelligence powerhouse, and one company is at the center of that mission.

Humain, launched in May 2025 with backing from the Public Investment Fund, is building what many describe as the Arab world鈥檚 most ambitious AI ecosystem.

Unlike firms that focus narrowly on single models, Humain delivers full-stack capabilities, from sovereign data centers to advanced large language models, all designed in and for the Kingdom.

At the heart of this vision is Humain Chat, a consumer app powered by the ALLaM 34B foundation model.




The HUMAIN Chat app interface, designed for over 400 million Arabic speakers. (Supplied)

Built as an Arabic-first system, it represents a decisive shift: Instead of adapting foreign technologies, 黑料社区 is now creating innovation rooted in its own language and culture.

Developing ALLaM 34B was Humain鈥檚 first major challenge and its greatest statement of intent.听

The model was trained on more than 500 billion Arabic tokens, making it the largest Arabic language dataset ever used. Independent evaluations have already ranked it as the world鈥檚 most advanced Arabic-first AI system.

Yaser Al-Onaizan, deputy CEO and president of data and AI models at Humain, explained why this matters.

鈥淎LLaM is set apart by its deep cultural integration and comprehensive understanding of Arabic nuances, from regional dialects to religious and historical contexts,鈥 he said.

Opinion

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The design choice was not cosmetic. By building the model in Arabic from the ground up, Humain gave it the ability to understand and reflect everyday speech while also handling specialized contexts like finance, government services, and education.

This dual focus allows ALLaM to power Humain Chat for millions of consumers while being robust enough for enterprise deployments.

Humain Chat is more than just a demo of Saudi AI capability. Available for free in the Kingdom on iOS, Android, and web, it is designed to serve more than 400 million Arabic speakers globally.




Smarter, context-aware answers from HUMAIN Chat. (Supplied)

Users can switch between Arabic and English, dictate in multiple dialects, and even search the web in real time without leaving the app.

鈥淥ur model鈥檚 real-world adaptability is unmatched,鈥 said Al-Onaizan. 鈥淲hile powering Humain Chat for consumers, it is also enterprise-ready, capable of seamless integration into government services, financial systems, and customer platforms.鈥

Where Humain differs from most regional players is its scale. The company describes itself as a full-stack AI provider, delivering not just large language models but also infrastructure, cloud platforms, and data governance systems.

This makes it one of the few firms globally attempting to control the entire AI value chain.




App icon for HUMAIN Chat, available on iOS and Android.

Its portfolio includes hyperscale data centers, cloud-native services, and a sovereign data platform capable of managing the full lifecycle from ingestion to visualization.

On top of this sit its models, from ALLaM to advanced voice-enabled systems, and finally consumer and enterprise applications such as Humain Chat.

The company鈥檚 ambitions are reinforced by major partnerships.

AWS is investing $5 billion in a new AI Zone in the Kingdom. NVIDIA is working with Humain to build AI factories with hundreds of thousands of graphics processing units.




Instant, reliable information with HUMAIN Chat. (Supplied)

Qualcomm, AMD, Cisco, and Groq are also aligned with the effort, ensuring Humain has both the software and hardware ecosystem to scale.

One of the biggest challenges in AI is training data, and for Arabic it has always been a limiting factor. High-quality corpora are scarce, fragmented, and inconsistent. Humain chose to tackle this head-on by designing its own data curation and governance pipeline.

鈥淏uilding advanced Arabic language models presents unique data challenges that we鈥檝e systematically addressed at Humain,鈥 said Al-Onaizan.

鈥淭he scarcity of high-quality Arabic training data has historically been a significant barrier. However, we turned this challenge into an opportunity through our innovative approach to data curation and governance, which was a built-from-scratch solution.鈥




Dr. Yaser Al-Onaizan, deputy CEO and president of data and AI models at HUMAIN, who spearheaded the development of ALLAM 34B. (Supplied)

To achieve this, Humain mobilized a network of more than 600 domain experts and 250 evaluators who validated and refined the training sets. The result is a model tuned for accuracy, relevance, and compliance with 黑料社区鈥檚 Personal Data Protection Law.

The Humain story is also the Saudi story.

Vision 2030 has made AI a national priority, and Humain reflects that ambition. By combining sovereign control with global partnerships, the Kingdom is positioning itself not just as a user of technology but as a leader shaping its direction.

鈥淲e are confident that 黑料社区 is taking all the necessary steps to become a global AI powerhouse,鈥 said Al-Onaizan. 鈥淥ur vision aligns strategically with the Kingdom鈥檚 ambitious national strategy, where we are not just participants, but we are actively shaping the future of AI.鈥

DID YOU KNOW?

Humain is building the Arab world鈥檚 most ambitious full-stack AI ecosystem and infrastructure.

Humain Chat is powered by ALLaM 34B, the world鈥檚 largest Arabic-first large language model.

ALLaM 34B was trained on over 500 billion Arabic tokens, integrating cultural nuances.

This confidence is not without basis. Humain鈥檚 rapid growth, global alliances, and independent recognition have already placed it on the map as a serious competitor to established tech giants.

If scale is one pillar of Humain鈥檚 strategy, responsibility is the other. The company emphasizes that its infrastructure is hosted entirely in the Kingdom, under national jurisdiction, to ensure sovereignty and trust.

鈥淲hen we discuss AI deployment at scale, data protection and privacy are not optional considerations, they are fundamental requirements,鈥 said Al-Onaizan.




Smarter Arabic voice interactions with HUMAIN Chat. (Supplied)

鈥淎t the core of our approach is full compliance with 黑料社区鈥檚 Personal Data Protection Law. While we meet all regulatory requirements, our true focus is establishing trust and maintaining the highest standards of data governance.鈥

This approach is designed to reassure both government and enterprise clients that advanced AI can be deployed without compromising security or cultural values.

黑料社区鈥檚 AI ambitions are no longer abstract policy goals. Through Humain, the Kingdom is building an end-to-end ecosystem that combines infrastructure, models, and applications in one stack.

With ALLaM 34B as its foundation and Humain Chat as its first showcase, the company is proving that Arabic-first innovation can set global standards.

The road ahead will be about scale, global expansion, and ensuring that AI speaks not only in Arabic but with the values and vision of the Arab world.


Decoder

What is Humain Chat?

Humain Chat is a consumer app developed by Humain, a Saudi company launched this year with backing from the Kingdom's Public Investment Fund. Humain Chat is available for free in the Kingdom on iOS, Android, and web, it is designed to serve more than 400 million Arabic speakers globally.


Burj Al Khazzan reimagined for a sustainable Riyadh

Burj Al Khazzan reimagined for a sustainable Riyadh
Updated 10 min 40 sec ago

Burj Al Khazzan reimagined for a sustainable Riyadh

Burj Al Khazzan reimagined for a sustainable Riyadh
  • Riyadh鈥檚 landmark water tower could be transformed into a cultural and ecological space by 2030
  • The concept will blendNajdi architecture, bioclimatic innovation, and sensory experience

RIYADH: In the heart of Al-Watan Park, in the historic district of Al-Futah, stands a familiar yet overlooked silhouette: the Burj Al Khazzan. This 61-meter-tall water tower, built in the 1970s by Swedish architect Sune Lindstrom, long served a crucial role: storing water for a rapidly growing capital.

Today, as Riyadh redefines its urban identity under Vision 2030 and the Green Riyadh initiative, the Burj may soon begin a new life 鈥 cultural, ecological, symbolic.

Still at the conceptual stage, the transformation project was envisioned by Stella Amae, a Franco-Japanese architecture firm based in Paris and Barcelona, after a consultation launched by the Public Investment Fund.

鈥淭he Burj is a unique object. It speaks of heritage, of water, of collective memory. We want to make it a living landmark, a Tree of Life,鈥 said Alexandre Stella, co-founder of Stella Amae.

The concept structure : a bioclimatic fa莽ade that interacts with air, light, sound and humidity. (Supplied)

The design draws inspiration from the trunk of the date palm 鈥 a regional symbol 鈥 and the triangular patterns of Najdi architecture. The structure would become a bioclimatic facade, interacting with air, light, sound, and humidity to create a true sensorial ecosystem.

鈥淲e envisioned a living skin, one that breathes. It would capture the sounds of the city, diffuse soft light, include bird nesting boxes 鈥 This would not be a frozen monument, but a living urban organism,鈥 he added.

More than an architectural gesture, the project aims to meet a social need: to create a space for gathering, contemplation, and transmission 鈥 in a district already rich in cultural institutions.

FASTFACT

The proposed structure includes
  • A public space at the base of the tower combining cultural and commercial activities

  • A rooftop designed to host events and offer breathtaking views over the park

  • Subtle lighting of the structure, activated during celebrations and special occasions

鈥淭he neighbourhood lacks a central point, a gathering space. The water tower could become that symbolic core,鈥 Stella said.

A sustainable, reversible, and experimental architecture

The project follows a sustainable and experiential design approach, with particular attention to environmental impact and long-term viability.

One of its key technical features is the use of ultra-high performance fiber concrete 鈥 a cutting-edge French engineering innovation that ensures structural strength and durability over time.

The design is inspired by the trunk of the date palm and the triangular motifs of Najdi architecture. (Supplied)

Another central principle is reversibility. The bioclimatic facade is designed as a lightweight, removable structure, non-invasive to the original building 鈥 allowing full restoration of the water tower if needed, in a spirit of heritage preservation and architectural temporality.

The project involves international creative talent, including Studio Jouan for sound design and BOA Light Studio for lighting. No local partners have been involved yet, because the project is still in the exploratory phase.

The targeted potential delivery date is 2030 鈥 echoing the broader transformation milestones of the Saudi capital.

While the project is at a design phase, Stella Amae is currently working on an archaeology research center and museum in Al-Sufouh, Dubai, with X-Architects.

Concept overview: a lively public space at the base of the tower, an event rooftop overlooking the park, and discreet lighting activated for special occasions. (Supplied)

The firm has also contributed to several major projects in the Middle East, including a residential project at Diriyah Gate 2 with AS.Architecture Studio in Paris and the Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Grand Mosque in Diriyah, in collaboration with X-Architects from Dubai.

However, the potential Burj Al-Khazzan project holds a unique place in their approach: 鈥淚t raises questions about urban heritage, water, memory 鈥 It is not just an architectural object. It is a piece of the city, a piece of history that we want to turn into the future,鈥 Stella said.

Turning a former water tower into a Tree of Life is a powerful metaphor for a city seeking to grow a new kind of urbanism 鈥 one that honors its past and looks toward a more sustainable future.


Saudi cultural movement in the spotlight at Central Saint Martins college in London

Saudi cultural movement in the spotlight at Central Saint Martins college in London
Updated 22 October 2025

Saudi cultural movement in the spotlight at Central Saint Martins college in London

Saudi cultural movement in the spotlight at Central Saint Martins college in London
  • Symposium aims to highlight the significant effects of Saudi arts, culture and innovation in shaping the future of creativity across the region
  • Titled 鈥楴ew Directions from the Middle East and Asia,鈥 the event is organized by Ghadah Alharthi, a cultural adviser and associate professor in culture and innovation

LONDON: Central Saint Martins college in London hosted an arts and culture symposium on Tuesday that explored the cultural transformation in 黑料社区, and its influence across the wider region.

The event, titled 鈥淣ew Directions from the Middle East and Asia,鈥 was organized by Ghadah Alharthi, a cultural adviser and associate professor of culture and innovation at the college, which is part of the University of the Arts London. It aimed to highlight the significant effects Saudi arts, culture and innovation are having in shaping the future of creativity across the Middle East and Asia.

It offered the gathered experts and creative professionals a day of panel discussions showcasing the Kingdom鈥檚 cultural movement and its role in connecting the Middle East and Asia to the wider world.

Alharthi told the participants how the Saudi Vision 2030 plan for national development and diversification emphasizes the development of people as a foundation for cultural innovation. The symposium also highlighted the role of cultural institutions in efforts to support and nurture emerging talent, and examined the role innovation and creativity play in enhancing cultural communities and boosting the creative economy.

The participants included Saudi artist Lulwah Al-Homoud, the founder of Isdar in Riyadh, whose works were on display at the event; Sheikha Marwa bint Rashid Al-Khalifa, president of the Bahrain Arts Society; Aryana Khan, head of cultural networking organization Frieze Connect; Suzy Sikorski, director of business development at Bonhams auction house; Mimi Nguyen, a lecturer in digital innovation and founder of Nguyen Wahed Gallery in New York; and Peter Harrigan from Medina Publishing in the UK.


Saudi crown prince congratulates Japan鈥檚 new premier

Saudi crown prince congratulates Japan鈥檚 new premier
Updated 22 October 2025

Saudi crown prince congratulates Japan鈥檚 new premier

Saudi crown prince congratulates Japan鈥檚 new premier

RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulated Sanae Takaichi as she become Japan鈥檚 first female prime minister, the Saudi Press Agency reported early on Wednesday.

Japan鈥檚 parliament elected Takaichi on Tuesday and she underlined her commitment to boosting Japanese defense as she prepared to host visiting U.S. President Donald Trump next week.

Takaichi replaces outgoing Shigeru Ishiba after the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered disastrous losses in July elections for parliament鈥檚 upper house and lost its majority in the lower house last year. 

Her election comes a day after the LDP struck a deal in a fragile coalition with a new partner expected to pull her governing bloc further to the right.

鈥 with input from The Associated Press.


Significant improvement in Saudi cities on global stage

Significant improvement in Saudi cities on global stage
Updated 22 October 2025

Significant improvement in Saudi cities on global stage

Significant improvement in Saudi cities on global stage
  • Kearney report attributes remarkable progress to investment in infrastructure, innovation, and livability

RIYADH: Saudi cities have shown a significant improvement on the international stage, underlining the rapid pace of transformation the Kingdom is witnessing under its Vision 2030.
The Global Cities Report by management consultant Kearney has highlighted the remarkable progress in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah and Dammam, thanks to sustained investment in infrastructure, innovation, and livability.
The report is based on the Global Cities Index and Global Cities Outlook. GCI measures 158 cities across key dimensions like business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement, ultimately evaluating a city鈥檚 ability to attract, retain, and generate global flows of people, capital, and ideas.
The index found that Riyadh advanced eight places to 56th, and posted strong gains in personal well-being and continues to lead in Foreign Direct Investment inflows, reinforcing its role as the leading national magnet for global investment.
Jeddah achieved a 1-rank increase and is placed 83rd worldwide, benefiting from its growing commercial and cultural activity and its rising role as a commercial and entrepreneurship hub.
Other Saudi cities such as Makkah, Madinah and Dammam significantly improved their rankings, reflecting the success of efforts to diversify development beyond the capital, the report showed.


AI tops agenda on day 1 of first conference on innovation and entrepreneurship in Saudi academia

AI tops agenda on day 1 of first conference on innovation and entrepreneurship in Saudi academia
Updated 21 October 2025

AI tops agenda on day 1 of first conference on innovation and entrepreneurship in Saudi academia

AI tops agenda on day 1 of first conference on innovation and entrepreneurship in Saudi academia
  • Other topics include economic impact of university business accelerators, and the development of performance indicators to enhance entrepreneurial sustainability
  • Workshops include one that tackled the challenges of teaching entrepreneurship to people with impaired hearing, and how to help them develop as innovators

RIYADH: The use of generative artificial intelligence in efforts to foster a university environment that stimulates innovation and creativity among students was one of the topics discussed on Tuesday at the inaugural Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Saudi Universities.

The economic impact of university business accelerators, and the development of performance indicators to enhance entrepreneurial sustainability were among the other subjects discussed on the opening day of the two-day event. Other sessions explored the latest concepts and practices in innovation and entrepreneurial transformation within universities.

The conference, organized by King Abdulaziz University, features a distinguished group of local and international speakers, and brings together researchers and specialists from academic institutions and national organizations, as well as local and international think tanks, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

International research discussions delved into entrepreneurial opportunities in AI-driven supply chains, and the influence of entrepreneurial leadership in efforts to promote innovation and achieve institutional excellence.

The conference also featured several workshops, during which participants explored pathways for establishing university startups, and the steps required to build entrepreneurial ventures in academic settings. Another topic was support for the outputs of academic research and how they might be transformed into economically significant products.

An interactive session titled 鈥淪ilent Entrepreneurship鈥 tackled the challenges of teaching entrepreneurship to people with impaired hearing, and proposed solutions to help them integrate with the innovation ecosystem. The session also included a hands-on exercise on the development of financial and investment awareness.

Other workshops focused on opportunities and challenges in the water sector, the future of water-related technologies in efforts to promote sustainability, and the use of AI by innovators and entrepreneurs. The conference concludes on Wednesday.