Sultan Al-Rajhi has been the communications and media manager at the National Transformation Program since September 2020.
The National Transformation Program aims to develop the necessary infrastructure and create an environment that enables the public, private and nonprofit sectors to achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. This will be accomplished by attaining governmental operational excellence, supporting digital transformation, enabling the private sector, developing economic partnerships and promoting social development, in addition to ensuring the sustainability of vital resources.
Al-Rajhi’s responsibilities include planning, developing, implementing communication and media strategies — in addition to writing reviews, content editing, articles, annual reports and supervising the prepared production of visual, audio and digital materials. Al-Rajhi organizes press conferences, exhibitions and media campaigns management.
Before Al-Rajhi joined the National Transformation Program, he worked in many government entities. Al-Rajhi had worked at the Ministry of Sports for four years (2015-2019), including the department of digital media and media relations establishment and operation. He participated in the establishment and managing of the department. He had worked as a rapporteur and a member of several media committees for different events.
Al-Rajhi was the manager of the “National Transformation Program Campaign” (Transformation Continues) and the documentary “The Transformation Journey,” in which the leaders of the strategic objectives of the program participated. This documentary was the first to document and monitor the first five years of the transformational journey experienced by Saudi Arabia.
Al-Rajhi holds a master’s degree in digital media from King Saud University in 2014. He has a bachelor’s degree in education from King Saud University (2011).
Who’s Who: Sultan Al-Rajhi, communications and media manager at the National Transformation Program
https://arab.news/4re45
Who’s Who: Sultan Al-Rajhi, communications and media manager at the National Transformation Program
Saudi Shoura Council vice-speaker receives Hungarian official in Riyadh
Vice-Speaker of the Shoura Council Mishaal Al-Sulami received Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary Istvan Jakab and his accompanying delegation in Riyadh on Wednesday.
During the meeting the two sides discussed various topics of common interest, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Sulami reviewed the Shoura Council’s work and the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in consolidating cooperation and supporting bilateral relations.
Jakab also expressed his aim of deepening bilateral relations between the two sides.
Jordan king welcomes Saudi Arabia’s support on Palestinian rights during phone call
RIYADH: Jordan’s King Abdullah welcomed Saudi Arabia’s firm and supportive positions on the rights of the Palestinian people during a phone call with the Kingdom’s crown prince.
Wednesday’s call between Jordan’s king and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came after President Donald Trump raised the possibility of the US owning Gaza and “resettling” Palestinians from the territory during a Tuesday press conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Superintelligent AI could replace human researchers, experts suggest
- AI opens new horizons in hypothesis generation, data analysis, Riyadh panel hears
- Global Healthspan Summit discusses ethical implications surrounding AI in healthcare
RIYADH: Experts at a Riyadh conference on Wednesday tackled the question of whether human researchers will become obsolete in the face of superintelligent machines capable of making groundbreaking discoveries.
A panel discussion during the Global Healthspan Summit, which has Arab News as a media partner, brought together specialists to explore the potential of artificial intelligence in scientific research.
The session, titled “AI — The Greatest Scientist in Waiting?” challenged the scientific community by positing that the new technology could surpass human capabilities in hypothesis generation, experimental design, and data analysis.
Two prominent contributors, Dr. Christoph Benn, director of the JLI Center for Global Health Diplomacy in Switzerland, and Jamie Heywood, CEO and founder of Alden Scientific in the US, took part in the discussion, which was moderated by Dr. Jens Eckstein, investment partner at the Hevolution Foundation in Saudi Arabia.
Heywood opened the conversation by emphasizing the transformative potential of AI.
“Mathematics and data techniques are not particularly new. What changes is the amount of data and the computational power we can apply to it,” he said.
Modern scientific method, when combined with AI, allows researchers to ask more nuanced questions, Heywood said.
Rather than relying on generalized clinical trials, researchers can now tailor inquiries to individual circumstances, thus enhancing the relevance and applicability of findings.
Heywood explained: “With enough variables and carefully designed queries, we can answer critical questions like: What will help me? What might be harmful? How will a change in my life, whether it be a diet or medication, feel?”
Such personalized insights would not be feasible without the integration of modern AI technologies, he added.
However, Heywood also cautioned against the pitfalls of AI, particularly the “garbage in, garbage out” phenomenon.
He explained that while machine learning can generate valuable insights, it is also susceptible to errors if the underlying data is flawed or misinterpreted.
“Machine learning can correct for seasonality errors in data, but it can also produce spurious correlations that traditional scientific methods might not catch,” he warned.
For instance, he recounted how the UK Biobank data suggested a correlation between vitamin D and aging that contradicted prior knowledge, highlighting the importance of critical oversight in AI-assisted research.
Benn echoed these comments, stressing the necessity of using AI responsibly in the context of personalized medicine.
“Is it possible to do modern medicine effectively without machine learning? I’m not even sure,” he said.
Benn said that the complexities of modern health data — comprising thousands of variables — are beyond the capacity of human intuition alone.
“Humans can intuit some relationships, but we can’t analyze data at that level,” he said.
The discussion also explored the ethical implications and regulatory needs surrounding AI in healthcare.
Benn pointed out the importance of establishing frameworks to ensure that AI tools are validated and certified.
“We need to trust these tools, both from the consumer’s perspective and from researchers,” he said.
He shared concerns raised by researchers who were hesitant to market their AI innovations without a clear certification process and accountability measures in place.
“Unless we know whether there is a certification process and whether we will be held accountable for unintended side effects, we will not market our AI tools.”
As the panel concluded, the conversation highlighted a critical juncture for the scientific community, noting that the integration of AI into research has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of health and disease, but also necessitates careful consideration of ethical and regulatory frameworks.
All Saudis should have access to AI health-monitoring tech, says Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed
- Technology can help extend healthy human lifespan, prince says
- Government should invest in improving population’s longevity
RIYADH: All Saudis should have access to artificial intelligence technology that monitors their health in real time, Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed told Arab News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
“Every Saudi citizen should have a real-time AI-driven health dashboard tracking metabolic markers, predictive disease risks, and lifestyle optimization strategies,” said the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures on the sidelines of the Global Healthspan Summit in Riyadh, which has Arab News as a media partner.
“We can also incentivize longevity-focused R&D. Governments should treat health-tech startups like they treat defense contractors: Fund them, fast-track them, and make breakthroughs happen.”
The prince and investor spoke about the idea of extending the healthy lifespan of the Saudi population, which is a key focus of the two-day summit.
“Aging isn’t the onset of disease; it’s the failure of medicine to treat the root cause. We’ve been conditioned to believe that heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and metabolic disorders are just part of ‘getting older.’ That’s like saying a car breaking down after 100,000 miles is inevitable. It’s not; it’s a mechanical failure due to wear and tear.”
In addition, the financial stress on economies is not from people living longer, the CEO believes, but rather from people living sick longer.
“Healthcare systems are designed to treat disease, not prevent it. We spend trillions on end-stage care instead of investing in tech that keeps people healthy for longer. The longer people stay active, productive, and self-sufficient, the better it is for the economy,” he said.
According to Prince Khaled, a healthy population is not a burden but an economic accelerator.
He continued: “What happens when we add 20 high-performance years to a person’s life instead of 20 years of dependency? We flip healthcare from an expense to an investment.”
The problem, he said, is governments and legacy institutions that treat healthcare as an expense instead of a growth sector.
However, to change this perspective, longevity should be a national priority, as should investing in new technology to extend healthy lifespans, he added.
“The same way governments invest in infrastructure and energy security, we should be funding longevity tech, AI-driven medicine, and regenerative therapies,” Prince Khalid said.
He added: “We need to overhaul preventative healthcare. Move from a ‘treat once sick’ model to a ‘predict and prevent’ model.”
Another idea the CEO raised was leveraging Saudi Arabia as a biotech corridor.
Saudi Arabia could be presented to the world as a global hub for longevity research, “offering regulatory flexibility, AI-powered clinical trials, and public-private partnerships that make biotech innovation move faster,” he said.
A healthier population will drive productivity, innovation, and economic expansion like never before, he added.
Furthermore, the future of health is not exclusively held by hospitals but by algorithms. With advanced technology, Prince Khaled suggested, AI will design personalized longevity plans for every individual by detecting disease before any symptoms appear.
“AI isn’t replacing doctors — it’s making every citizen their own health CEO. We should be running simulations of every human body and predicting health outcomes before they happen. The data exists. We just need AI to make sense of it,” he said.
While the country is developing and advancing with a number of megaprojects, the CEO believes that the government could build the world’s first longevity-first city as well, where AI can play a significant role in optimizing public health, fostering genetic research, and reversing the effects of aging.
“With AI-driven biotech, the Kingdom can lead in regenerative medicine, gene editing, and age-reversal therapies. A 100-year lifespan shouldn’t be a burden — it should be an advantage,” he said.
“The future of Saudi health isn’t about more hospitals and doctors. It’s about AI-driven longevity, proactive medicine, and ensuring every Saudi lives healthier for longer.”
When aging is viewed as an unsolvable problem, it becomes so, Prince Khaled said. However, if it is treated as an engineering challenge, it can be solved.
In a final note, Prince Khaled said: “The countries that prioritize longevity will dominate the global economy.”
Saudi counter-narcotics authority seizes 11 million amphetamine pills in Dammam
- Smugglers concealed amphetamine pills in a food shipment
- Authorities discovered it at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s counter-narcotics authority thwarted on Wednesday an attempt to smuggle eleven million pills of the illegal and dangerous drug amphetamine.
The General Directorate of Narcotics Control, or GDNC, announced the discovery of 11,108,998 amphetamine pills concealed in a food shipment at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, located in the Eastern Region.
Two suspects were arrested — a resident of Jordanian nationality and a Saudi citizen — by the GDNC, acting in coordination with the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority, which controls the security of all land and seaports in the Kingdom.
The street value of the seized amphetamine pills, also known as captagon, ranges between $10 and $25 each. Consequently, the value of the shipment is estimated to be between $111 million and $227 million.
Drug smuggling is a serious crime in Saudi Arabia. It is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, along with 50 lashes and a fine for first-time offenders involved in smuggling, consuming or marketing drugs. However, individuals who repeatedly commit this crime may face the death penalty, according to the GDNC.
Security authorities urged the public to report drug smuggling or selling by calling 911 in Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, or 999 in other regions.
Reports can also be made to the General Directorate of Narcotics Control at 995 or via email at [email protected]. All information will remain strictly confidential.
