沙特阿拉伯数字学习人工智能沙盒：通过教育领域的人工智能创新推动社会经济影响

Driving Socio-Economic Impact throughAI Innovation in Education © 2026. The World Bank1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433Telephone: (202) 473-1000;Internet: www.worldbank.org Some rights reserved. This work was prepared by The World Bank at the request of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(KSA). The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views ofthe Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guaranteethe accuracy of the data included in this work and does not assume responsibility for any errors, omissions, ordiscrepancies in the information, or liability with respect to the use of or failure to use the information, methods,processes, or conclusions set forth. The boundaries, colors, denominations, links/footnotes and other information Rights and Permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge,this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work Attribution:Adelle Pushparatnam, Sarah El Wazzi. 2026. The AI Sandbox for Digital Learning in Saudi Arabia:Driving Socio-Economic Impact Through AI Innovation in Education. World Bank. Washington, DC. Translations:If you create a translation of this work, please add the following disclaimer along with the attribution:“This translation was not created by The World Bank and should not be considered an official World Bank translation. Adaptations:If you create an adaptation of this work, please add the following disclaimer along with the attribution:“This is an adaptation of an original work by The World Bank. Views and opinions expressed in the adaptation are the All queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, TheWorld Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625; e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is the product of collaboration between Saudi Arabia’s National eLearningCenter (NeLC) and the World Bank under the Technical Cooperation Program withthe Saudi Arabia government. The collaboration was led byAdelle Pushparatnam(Senior Education Specialist, World Bank) andMahmoud Elsayed(Senior Economist,World Bank). The authors of the report areAdelle Pushparatnam(Senior EducationSpecialist, World Bank) andSarah El Wazzi(Education Consultant, World Bank).The report’s authors are thankful toMarcelle Momha and Aidan Clerkin fortheir analytical contributions to the project, andCristobal Cobo(Senior EducationSpecialist, World Bank) whose peer review comments enhanced the report content. Thevisual design and report theme was produced byDipali Dhanak. The report benefitedfrom the strategic guidance and insights ofSteffen Soulejman Janus(Regional HubManager for Riyadh, World Bank),Fadila Caillaud(Practice Manager, Educationand Skills, Middle East and North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, World Bank),andShwetlena Sabarwal(Lead Economist, World Bank). The World Bank teamand authors express their sincere appreciation for counterparts involved in the WorldBank’s partnership with NeLC, and who provided guidance and valuable insights EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating new opportunities to improve digital learning, strengthen workforcereadiness, and support broader socio-economic development.At the same time, realizing these opportunitiesrequires mechanisms that allow educational institutions, innovators, policymakers, and technology developers to test, Saudi Arabia’s National eLearning Center (NeLC) established the AI Sandbox for Digital Learning (AISB)to support responsible AI innovation in education and contribute to broader objectives related to digitallearning quality, human capital and workforce readiness, and AI-enabled digital learning innovationecosystems in support of Vision 2030 and the Human Capability Development Program.Launched in late2024, the AISB provides a structured environment for the development, testing, and piloting of AI-enabled digital This evaluation finds that the AISB represents an innovative and distinctive approach to supportingAIinnovation in education.By combining experimentation, ecosystem coordination, institutional capabilitydevelopment, and governance alignment within a single platform, the AISB extends beyond a conventional testing Implementation evidence points to strong operational momentum.To date, the AISB has received 652submissions (including 7 from international participants) across its application streams, admitted three cohorts forstructured testing and development, exceeded several ecosystem engagement and partnership targets, and engaged2,884 participants through capacity-building and applied learning activities. Platform users have also engaged with the The AISB’s activities are intended to contribute to three interconnected socio-econo