Opinion

AI from the Desert: Saudi Arabia Redraws Global Power—What About Mexico?

Mario López Ayala, PhD0376 views

The New Mecca Is No Longer Petroleum—It’s Intelligence

While much of the world still debates how to regulate artificial intelligence, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are already building their temples of silicon and algorithms. Through initiatives like Humain and Stargate UAE, the Arabian Peninsula has made clear that its ambitions are not merely technological—they are historic. It seeks to shift the axis of global digital power from Silicon Valley and Shenzhen to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. And it is doing so with a model that fuses oil, power, and mathematical precision.

Behind this narrative of progress lies a deeper maneuver: the creation of a new global digital order, one that will no longer depend on barrels or bayonets, but on petaflops, big data, and algorithmic sovereignty.

Algorithmic Geopolitics: A Double-Edged Strategy

The Saudis have understood that in the 21st century, it’s not enough to control the energy market—you must also control the prediction models that regulate it. Their AI drive is not philanthropy nor pure economics; it is an act of silent warfare. Saudi Arabia has constructed a sophisticated narrative in which “Humain” represents more than a company—it is a State project, the new face of Arab soft power.

Access to Nvidia chips, deals with OpenAI, and the redirection of sovereign capital to fund digital infrastructure reflect a structural decision: data is the new oil, but with a crucial difference—there is no OPEC to regulate it (Financial Times, 2024).

AI and Defense: The Elephant in the Cloud

Although officials claim these platforms serve civil purposes, the militarization of AI is inevitable. The region knows that tomorrow’s wars won’t be fought in trenches but in virtual environments. Stargate UAE, strategically located in Abu Dhabi, is designed to consolidate cyber superiority through total surveillance, military-grade machine learning, and predictive threat control.

The question is uncomfortable but necessary: who audits the decisions of an AI system controlled by an authoritarian government? And what are the implications of Western firms supplying the infrastructure? (AP News, 2024).

From Petrodollars to Data Power

Economically, we are witnessing a paradigm shift. The Persian Gulf no longer wants to be the world’s ATM—it wants to be the designer of the software that programs it. Sovereign funds from Saudi Arabia and the UAE are pouring into AI models, STEM education, and digital ecosystems with a 50-year vision.

But let’s not be deceived: this isn’t Silicon Valley. Innovation here does not move at the rhythm of startups, but under a monarchy with absolutist vision. The promise of modernization may disguise what some critics already call a golden dystopia—shiny on the outside, opaque within (Forbes España, 2025).

Future or Mirage?

From a futurist perspective, AI could be the vehicle to lead the Middle East into a new intellectual and digital golden age. Yet, technological advancement without ethical foundations is a ticking time bomb. It’s not enough to possess data—you must know what to do with it, and for whose benefit.

The world watches, fascinated and slightly fearful, as Saudi Arabia and the UAE reclaim the legacy of Baghdad, Damascus, and Cairo as knowledge centers—not through manuscripts, but through generative models. At its core, what’s at stake is this: who gets to decide humanity’s future—the democracy of data or the absolutism of algorithms? (Freedom House, 2024).

And Mexico? Caught Between the Future and Structural Delay

While Saudi Arabia and the UAE reconfigure their national narratives to become AI powers, Mexico remains mired in political, educational, and technological stagnation. Although there are isolated advances in data science, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure, these efforts fall short of forming a cohesive national AI strategy.

In contrast to the Gulf’s structured approach, Mexico lacks a robust, cross-cutting national AI plan to connect academia, industry, and government (OECD, 2023). The National Artificial Intelligence Program under CONAHCYT has become outdated and lacks continuity within the state apparatus.

From an educational standpoint, Mexico is not producing enough STEM professionals specialized in AI. OECD figures show that Mexico has one of the lowest ratios of science and engineering graduates per thousand inhabitants among its member countries (OECD, 2022).

In terms of technological security, the gaps are alarming. Mexico faces an increasing wave of cybercrime without updated legal frameworks or specialized agencies with adequate human and technical resources (CFR, 2023).

Regarding public investment, Saudi Arabia allocates more than 2% of its GDP to emerging technologies. In contrast, Mexico’s public R&D investment remains below 0.3% of GDP (World Bank, 2023).

And when it comes to the ongoing judicial reform, while it aims to bring justice closer to the people, it may become a technical liability. Electing judges by popular vote without rigorous criteria risks undermining the specialization needed to address digital crimes, algorithmic ownership, and computational ethics (Freedom House, 2024).

What Should Mexico Do?

  1. Redesign a National AI Plan with a 2040 vision.
  2. Reform the education system to embed digital skills.
  3. Invest at least 1% of GDP in R&D and innovation.
  4. Create a National Cybersecurity and AI Agency.
  5. Halt judicial improvisation and professionalize digital justice.

Final Reflection

Artificial intelligence is not neutral. It is built by those with the money, the power, and the vision. Saudi Arabia realized this long before others. History will not remember it for selling oil, but for buying the future.

The challenge for the rest of the world—and especially for Mexico—is monumental: will we compete, collaborate, or fall under the new digital shadow of the desert?

References

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