On August 28, 2025, Saudi Arabia took a bold leap into the global artificial intelligence race by launching HUMAIN Chat, a groundbreaking AI chatbot described by many as the world’s first “Halal AI.” Developed by Humain IQ, a Saudi-based AI startup funded by the country’s powerful Public Investment Fund (PIF), HUMAIN Chat is designed from the ground up for Arabic speakers and tailored to comply with Islamic values. This launch marks a significant milestone not only for Saudi Arabia but for the entire Middle East, as the region seeks to carve out its own space in the rapidly evolving world of AI technology.
HUMAIN Chat is powered by the flagship large language model, ALLAM 34B, which was developed entirely in Saudi Arabia. According to Curly Tales, this model is not just another AI platform with Arabic support tacked on; instead, it was trained on one of the largest Arabic datasets ever assembled—over eight petabytes of data—making it the largest of its kind globally. The company’s commitment to authenticity shines through: over 600 domain experts and 250 specialist evaluators fine-tuned and assessed the model, ensuring it goes beyond simple translation to truly understand the cultural, religious, and linguistic nuances unique to the Arab world.
At launch, HUMAIN Chat is available on the web, iOS, and Android, with initial rollout in Saudi Arabia. There are ambitious plans to expand to the wider Middle East and eventually to global markets. The chatbot’s ability to communicate fluently in both Arabic and English—even switching languages seamlessly mid-conversation—sets it apart from most international competitors. As reported by SAN, this bilingual capability is crucial for professionals and everyday users who navigate both languages in their daily lives.
But what really makes HUMAIN Chat special? It’s the platform’s deep respect for Islamic values and Saudi social norms. The company has built in safeguards to ensure the chatbot does not violate the Kingdom’s religious or cultural rules. As Humain CEO Tareq Amin stated in a press release, “The launch of HUMAIN Chat is a point of pride for Saudi Arabia, marking a historic milestone in our mission to build sovereign AI that is both technically advanced and culturally authentic.”
HUMAIN Chat is being positioned as a tool for the two billion Muslims worldwide. Its real-time web search capabilities, speech recognition across more than 30 Arabic dialects—including Egyptian, Gulf, and Levantine—and culturally sensitive responses make it feel less like a generic chatbot and more like a trusted digital assistant. The company’s focus on dialects is particularly noteworthy. As SAN highlights, the differences between Arabic dialects can be so great that speakers from different regions sometimes struggle to understand each other. HUMAIN Chat aims to bridge that gap, offering nuanced understanding across the linguistic spectrum.
Saudi Arabia’s investment in HUMAIN is substantial—$10 billion has been funneled into the project to ensure it can compete with regional rivals, particularly the United Arab Emirates’ Falcon 3 chatbot. The PIF, which manages assets exceeding $1 trillion, has also secured $23 billion for strategic technology partnerships and a $10 billion venture fund. Major tech players like Nvidia and AMD are on board to help develop HUMAIN’s data centers, and construction is already underway on two sprawling campuses comprising 11 data centers, each boasting a 200-megawatt capacity. The company’s goal is to reach a total of 1.9 gigawatts of power by 2030, a clear indicator of its long-term ambitions.
HUMAIN Chat’s development process is as collaborative as it is ambitious. The company has called on Saudi residents to actively use and test the chatbot, with the understanding that every interaction will help refine and improve the model. As with other large language models, the more it is used, the smarter and more capable it becomes. This community-driven approach is intended to ensure that HUMAIN Chat remains relevant and accurate as it scales up to serve a broader audience.
The chatbot’s commitment to privacy and data protection has also been emphasized. India.com reports that HUMAIN IQ has ensured compliance with Saudi data protection laws by storing user data within the Kingdom. This is a crucial point for users concerned about privacy and national sovereignty, especially in an era when data security is increasingly under scrutiny.
Of course, HUMAIN Chat does not exist in a vacuum. The regional AI landscape is heating up, with the UAE’s Falcon 3 model already in the field. While Falcon 3 is also designed for Arabic dialects, it does not explicitly promote Islamic values in the way HUMAIN Chat does. This distinction is not just a matter of branding but reflects a broader competition between Saudi Arabia and the UAE to lead the Middle East in business and technology. As India.com notes, every major country is now developing its own indigenous large language models and AI platforms tailored to local needs and priorities.
The company is clear that this is just the beginning. “This is not the end state, but the beginning of a journey to serve the Kingdom, the Arabic-speaking world, and beyond. The potential is limitless, accelerating innovation and progress across every dimension of commercial and social life,” Amin said, as quoted by SAN. The roadmap includes eventual expansion to the entire Middle East and, in time, to global markets, although no specific timeline has been given for international rollout.
For now, HUMAIN Chat stands as a symbol of Saudi Arabia’s digital ambitions. It is a testament to the country’s desire not only to participate in the global AI revolution but to do so on its own terms—rooted in language, culture, and faith. As the world watches to see how this “Halal AI” evolves, one thing is clear: the race for AI dominance in the Middle East has truly begun, and Saudi Arabia is determined to be at the front of the pack.
With its unique blend of technical sophistication, cultural sensitivity, and strategic investment, HUMAIN Chat is poised to reshape how Arabic speakers—and potentially Muslims worldwide—interact with artificial intelligence. Whether it will become the go-to digital assistant for the region remains to be seen, but its launch has already set a new standard for what culturally aware AI can achieve.
