Saudi Arabia has stepped into the global artificial intelligence (AI) race with the launch of Humain Chat, a new Arabic-first chatbot. The app has been designed to reflect the culture, language, and values of the region. It is being called the world’s first “halal AI” – meaning it is built to respect Islamic culture while being fluent in Arabic.

Humain Chat was created by Riyadh-based startup Humain, with support from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. At its core is ALLAM 34B, a powerful language model trained on the largest Arabic dataset ever made. This allows the chatbot to speak naturally in different Arabic dialects like Egyptian, Gulf, and Levantine. It can also switch easily between Arabic and English in the middle of a conversation.

The chatbot can answer questions in real time, backed by search, and lets users talk to it through typing or voice. People can also share their conversations with others. The app is now available on the web, iOS, and Android in Saudi Arabia, and will soon expand to more regions. The company says Humain Chat follows Saudi Arabia’s data protection laws, with all data stored inside the Kingdom to ensure privacy and security.

Humain’s CEO, Tareq Amin, said this launch is a big milestone for the Arabic-speaking world. He added that it shows Saudi Arabia can build advanced technology on its own, while also serving the cultural needs of Arabs and Muslims.

The launch comes at a time when AI competition in the region is growing. The UAE has already launched its own Arabic AI model called Falcon. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are trying to become leaders in building AI that is not only smart but also respects cultural and religious values. While global chatbots like ChatGPT are popular worldwide, Humain Chat is special because it is designed for Arabic heritage and Islamic traditions – something most global tools do not focus on.