People must see themselves in the AI revolution      Authors – Ali Naqvi and Mohammed Al-Qarni

In a world racing toward artificial intelligence, we must ensure that this revolution doesn’t slip into the hands of a select few. As I see it, AI can’t just be the playground of coders, engineers, and Silicon Valley elites. It must reach the common man — the teacher, the nurse, the policymaker, the shop owner — anyone who will ultimately live with its impact. The real game-changer is not code but context, not algorithms but awareness. Just as the internet became ubiquitous when people found a way to make it part of their daily lives, AI must be demystified and humanized. We need not a nation of programmers, but a society of critical thinkers who can speak the language of machine cognition without having to write it.

The article strikes a chord by reminding us that AI adoption isn’t about flashy tech or sovereign data centers; it’s about human capital — minds that can interpret, challenge, and shape this new cognitive order. Sovereignty in the AI era won’t come from the size of your server farms but from how wisely your society can adapt and lead. That’s the heartbeat of real transformation. Saudi Arabia’s strategic pivot, aligned with global AI leaders like the US, isn’t about who dominates the digital landscape — it’s about who understands it best. Because in the end, AI is not just about machines thinking faster; it’s about people thinking deeper.

Overview:

This article emphasizes the necessity of democratizing AI and warns against allowing it to remain the domain of a technical elite. It presents the case that nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, should prioritize building public understanding and human capital over technical infrastructure alone. The authors stress that real sovereignty in AI lies in education, civic engagement, and moral awareness. AI is portrayed not as a product, but as a cultural shift requiring collective adaptation.

NOTES:

This article provides critical perspectives on how technological revolutions shape geopolitical alignments and social structures. You should link this to themes like technology’s impact on society, education reform, public policy, and diplomatic cooperation in the digital age. The example of Saudi Arabia’s AI goals can be quoted in current affairs or essay papers. The philosophical angle on AI as a social, moral, and political challenge is also helpful for the ethics paper.

CSS Relevant Topics or Subjects:

• Governance and Public Policy
• International Relations
• Current Affairs (Saudi Arabia-US relations)
• Science and technology

Notes for beginners:

The article is an attention call about AI not being just for tech experts. For instance, when smartphones came out, only a few tech-savvy people could use them efficiently. Now, even kids and elders are using them daily. Similarly, AI tools like ChatGPT or voice assistants must also become understandable and useful to everyone. Saudi Arabia, for example, is not just building data centers but also focusing on training its people to understand and use AI responsibly. The article also compares this moment to when cars were first introduced — people resisted at first, but over time, society adapted and transformed around it.

Facts and Figures:

• AIAIQ was launched in the US in 2016.
• Saudi Arabia is building sovereign AI models and platforms.
• Emphasis on developing national AI strategies across Gulf countries.
• Historical parallel with automobile adoption in the early 20th century.

To wrap up, this article gives a message — the AI revolution won’t succeed unless the average citizen feels they have a stake in it. It advocates a bottom-up approach where AI isn’t just implemented but lived and understood. The heart of progress lies not in lines of code but in the minds of people. If societies fail to bring everyone on board, AI will remain an elite phenomenon rather than a shared future.