Saudi Arabia has entered the global artificial intelligence race with the launch of Humain Chat, a new Arabic-first chatbot designed to show the culture, language and values of the region.
Developed by Riyadh-based startup Humain, the app is being described as the world’s first "halal AI" that is fluent in Arabic, fluent in Islamic culture, and capable of engaging in bilingual conversations with ease, reports The Dazzling Dawn.
At the centre of the technology is ALLAM 34B, a large language model trained on more than eight petabytes of data, which the company claims is the largest Arabic dataset created so far.
This training allows the chatbot to respond naturally in different Arabic dialects such as Egyptian, Gulf and Levantine, while also offering smooth switching between Arabic and English in the middle of a conversation.
Users can type or speak to the AI, get real-time search-backed answers, and even share entire conversations with others.
The service is now available on web, iOS and Android across Saudi Arabia, with expansion to other regions expected in the coming months. Humain, which was unveiled earlier this year, is supported by the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund and is working as a full-stack AI company with a focus on infrastructure, cloud, data and applications. The firm has also emphasised that the chatbot is fully compliant with Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law and that all data is stored within the Kingdom to ensure privacy and sovereignty.
Humain’s chief executive Tareq Amin said the launch marks a major milestone for the Arabic-speaking world and shows that Saudi Arabia can deliver advanced technology built on its own talent and infrastructure. According to him, the project highlights a larger ambition to accelerate innovation in the Kingdom while also meeting the cultural needs of Arabs and Muslims globally.
The launch comes as regional competition in artificial intelligence intensifies. The UAE has already introduced its Falcon Arabic model, and both countries are positioning themselves as leaders in creating AI systems that are not only technologically capable but also culturally grounded.
While global chatbots like ChatGPT dominate international conversations, efforts such as Humain Chat stand out because they offer a product tailored to Arabic heritage and Islamic values, something global tools have often struggled to deliver.
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
