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The phrase “data is the new oil” has added meaning in the Gulf. Leaders in the region are investing heavily in artificial intelligence to diversify and modernise their fossil fuel-dependent economies. “Instead of exporting oil, we will export data,” said Saudi Arabia’s minister of finance, Mohammed al-Jadaan, early this year.
“数据是新的石油”这句话在海湾地区增加了意义。该地区的领导人正在大力投资人工智能，以使依赖化石燃料的经济多样化和现代化。沙特阿拉伯财政部长穆罕默德•贾丹今年年初表示：“我们将出口数据，而不是出口石油。”
The ambition makes sense. AI requires lots of capital, land and energy. The Gulf has all those in abundance. Humain, Saudi Arabia’s new state-owned AI company, is backed by the country’s $940bn Public Investment Fund. Abu Dhabi, which manages $1.7tn in sovereign wealth funds, is investing through AI fund MGX. Last month, during President Donald Trump’s visit to the region, both funds helped to develop partnerships with US tech companies, securing access to chips and talent in exchange for money and data centre hosting facilities.
野心是有道理的。人工智能需要大量的资金、土地和能源。海湾地区拥有所有这些资源。沙特阿拉伯新成立的国有人工智能公司Humain得到了该国9400亿美元公共投资基金的支持。管理着1.7万亿美元主权财富基金的阿布扎比正在通过人工智能基金MGX进行投资。上个月，在唐纳德•特朗普总统访问该地区期间，这两家基金都帮助与美国科技公司建立了合作关系，以资金和数据中心托管设施换取芯片和人才。
The timing is apt too. The International Energy Agency forecasts oil demand to peak by the end of this decade. Done well, the Gulf’s foray into AI could drive up investment, improve productivity and ease cost burdens in the region’s hefty civil services. According to McKinsey, AI adoption could boost the Gulf Cooperation Council economies by $150bn. But success is not guaranteed. Significant hurdles lie in the way.
时机也很合适。国际能源署预测，石油需求将在本十年末达到峰值。如果做得好，海湾地区进军人工智能可以推动投资，提高生产力，减轻该地区庞大的公务员队伍的成本负担。麦肯锡表示，人工智能的采用可以使海湾合作委员会经济体增加1500亿美元。但成功并非板上钉钉。道路上存在重大障碍。
The Gulf has a spotty record historically in delivering on efforts to diversify its economy. Riyadh is already spending hundreds of billions of dollars on grandiose “giga projects” that have run over budget. With falling oil prices putting more pressure on public finances, the region will need to be more focused with its AI strategy. It has the resources to tap into the rising global demand for data-processing capacity. But it should not rely too heavily on hosting companies’ data centres to drive growth. The vast amounts of energy and water the facilities suck up risk sapping other parts of the economy.
海湾地区在实现经济多样化方面的历史记录不佳。利雅得已经在超出预算的宏伟“千兆项目”上花费了数千亿美元。随着油价下跌给公共财政带来更大压力，该地区将需要更加专注于人工智能战略。该地区有足够的资源来满足全球对数据处理能力不断增长的需求。但它不应过分依赖托管公司的数据中心来推动增长。这些设施所消耗的大量能源和水资源有可能消耗掉经济的其他部分。
The region can achieve more sustained growth from AI by encouraging adoption in its strategic industries. This includes manufacturing, port management and energy infrastructure. For instance, Saudi Aramco, the kingdom’s oil company, has already been using AI to detect blockages and leaks. The UAE’s urban centres are also particularly well positioned to generate growth from AI integration, given its applications in finance and smart city infrastructure. Sensibly, these areas are the focus of the emirates’ 2031 AI strategy.
该地区可以通过鼓励其战略产业采用人工智能来实现更持续的增长。这包括制造业、港口管理和能源基础设施。例如，沙特阿美石油公司已经在使用人工智能检测堵塞和泄漏。鉴于人工智能在金融和智慧城市基础设施中的应用，阿联酋的城市中心也特别适合通过人工智能整合实现增长。明智的是，这些领域是酋长国2031年人工智能战略的重点。
But access to skills and talent is a limitation. Right now the UAE in particular is able to lure talented tech experts from abroad with high salaries and low taxes. However, to develop a resilient, self-sustaining AI ecosystem, the region will need to invest more in nurturing tech skills and start-ups at home, through tech institutes and its universities. Improving training and education more generally is crucial, too, to cushion the effects of tech-driven job displacement. A 2022 study showed that students in the UAE perform worse than the OECD average in maths, reading and science. In Saudi Arabia, AI-related roles reportedly suffer from a 50 per cent hiring gap, with machine learning and data science the most sought-after skills.
但技能和人才的获取受到限制。目前，阿联酋尤其能以高薪和低税吸引国外的优秀技术专家。然而，要发展一个有韧性、可自我维持的人工智能生态系统，该地区需要通过技术研究所和大学，加大投资力度，在国内培养技术技能和初创企业。在更大范围内改善培训和教育也至关重要，这样才能缓解科技驱动的工作岗位转移所带来的影响。2022年的一项研究表明，阿联酋学生在数学、阅读和科学方面的表现不如经合组织的平均水平。据报道，在沙特阿拉伯，人工智能相关职位的招聘缺口高达50%，其中机器学习和数据科学是最受欢迎的技能。
Finally, the Gulf will need to develop a robust regulatory framework for AI. Foreign companies will rightly be cautious about handing over their data to entities controlled by the region’s autocratic rulers, who could use it for nefarious means such as surveillance. If they want to host data centres, utilise private data to improve public services, or encourage AI experimentation, Gulf countries will need to show themselves to be trustworthy custodians.
最后，海湾地区需要为人工智能制定强有力的监管框架。外国公司理所当然会对将自己的数据交给该地区专制统治者控制的实体持谨慎态度，因为这些统治者可能会将数据用于监视等邪恶手段。如果海湾国家想托管数据中心、利用私人数据改善公共服务或鼓励人工智能实验，就必须证明自己是值得信赖的托管人。
Data may indeed be the new oil. But driving long-term economic growth from AI won’t be as straightforward as building rigs and pipelines.
数据可能确实是新的石油。但利用人工智能推动长期经济增长并不像建造钻井平台和管道那样简单。