The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was crowned first globally in the World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY) 2025 after winning 26 awards, finishing ahead of the United States in second place, Indonesia in third, and Canada and Pakistan in fourth, marking a new milestone in the Kingdom’s growing record of global achievements in AI.
The current edition of the competition saw the submission of more than 10,000 innovative projects based on AI technologies, addressing a wide range of topics and challenges related to the future of humanity and the planet, such as climate, health, education, culture, and social innovation.
Participants presented their projects across four main tracks, including the AI Showcase Track, AI-Generated Art Track, AI-Generated Video Track, and AI Large Language Model Track.
The Kingdom secured first place with 26 awards, achieved by more than 18,000 male and female students from various educational stages, who won 11 medals and developed 163 projects that competed against their peers to reach the finals.
The 26 winning projects spanned a wide range of fields and themes, including AI-generated videos, large language models, and cultural projects centered on Najdi heritage.
They also consisted of awards in the AI-Generated Art Track and other areas, all of which contributed to securing first place globally in the competition.
These results come amid the Kingdom’s continued progress in numerous AI-related indicators, with strong performance in sector growth, rising employment rates, and the attraction of specialized AI talent.
The Kingdom has also achieved advanced global rankings in leading AI models and increased public awareness of AI during 2025.
