Investment entrepreneur Samer Choucair said that The Economist’s cover for the issue dated June 20 to 26, 2026, clearly reflected the contours of the new geopolitical shift underway in the artificial intelligence sector, depicting an American eagle gripping a computer mouse connected by a cable in its beak under the headline “America’s AI Power Grab,” signaling the growing American influence over the world’s most advanced technologies.
He explained that the US administration’s decision, issued on June 12, requiring Anthropic to block foreign users’ access to its advanced frontier models “Fable” and “Mythos” confirmed that access to the most powerful AI models is no longer merely a commercial decision, but has become subject to strategic and sovereignty considerations.
He added that this new reality has raised fundamental questions among investors in the Gulf region about how to turn these challenges into economic and investment opportunities aligned with Saudi Vision 2030’s targets.
American Control Over Advanced Models Has Created a New Geopolitical Reality
Samer Choucair noted that competition in artificial intelligence is no longer limited to major technology companies, as governments have come to play the decisive role in determining who can access the latest models and the most powerful computing capabilities.
He explained that what he described as the “power grab” in the AI sector has reshaped global technology supply chains, pushing many countries to seriously consider building their own sovereign capabilities or entering carefully considered strategic partnerships that ensure sustained access to advanced technologies.
He affirmed that these shifts have opened promising opportunities for Gulf capital markets to invest in digital infrastructure, industrial AI applications, and developing local talent, rather than relying entirely on foreign models.
2026 Marked a Historic Turning Point for AI in the Kingdom
Samer Choucair explained that Saudi Arabia’s declaration of 2026 as the Year of Artificial Intelligence represented a strategic step to accelerate the digital transformation journey within Vision 2030’s framework.
He noted that the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) led the implementation of the national strategy, built on six core pillars including ambition, talent, policy, investment, innovation, and building an integrated AI ecosystem.
He added that the size of the AI market in the Kingdom reached roughly 2.14 billion dollars during 2025, while projections point to it reaching 16.9 billion dollars by 2032, at a compound annual growth rate of 34.3%.
He pointed out that AI’s contribution to the Saudi economy is expected to exceed 135 billion dollars by 2030, equivalent to roughly 12% of the Kingdom’s GDP.
Sovereign Infrastructure and Advanced Computing Represent the Biggest Investment Opportunities
Samer Choucair affirmed that the Kingdom possesses strong competitive advantages that qualify it to become a regional and global hub for advanced computing and data centers.
He explained that the availability of low-cost energy, vast geographic space, strategic location, and continued government support through the Public Investment Fund and initiatives such as HUMAIN have strengthened the Kingdom’s ability to attract major technology investments, saying that growing American control over frontier models has strengthened the need to build robust sovereign computing and data center infrastructure within the Kingdom. He also considered that capitalizing on Saudi Arabia’s energy and logistics advantages is no longer an additional option, but has become a strategic necessity aligning directly with Vision 2030’s goals.