Saudi Arabia’s AI firm Humain has established a new division focused on media, video games, and advertising.

The announcement was made by Chief Strategy Officer Steve Plimsoll at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The new unit, called Humain Create, will work with Luma AI, a startup that specializes in generative AI models for media production.

According to Plimsoll, the division aims to develop AI tools that can generate photorealistic images and videos for gaming, marketing, and other media applications.

Humain, owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, was founded in May as part of the kingdom’s initiative to lead in AI.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Saudi Arabia’s AI ambitions are backed by specific economic projections

Humain’s creation is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader strategy to make AI a cornerstone of economic diversification under Vision 2030, not merely a tech trend.

Saudi Arabia expects AI to contribute approximately $135.2 billion to its economy by 2030, representing 12.4% of its GDP according to economic forecasts 1.

This positions the kingdom to capture a significant portion of the $320 billion in AI benefits projected for the Middle East region, with the PIF’s $925 billion resources providing substantial financial backing for these initiatives 1.

The focus on photorealistic AI for media production through Humain Create aligns with global AI development patterns, where specialized applications are seeing faster commercial adoption than generalized AI.

By targeting creative industries specifically, Saudi Arabia is pursuing high-value sectors where AI implementation can yield measurable returns while building technological sovereignty.

2️⃣ Gaming represents Saudi Arabia’s most strategically developed AI vertical

Humain’s expansion into gaming builds upon Saudi Arabia’s massive $38 billion commitment to develop gaming and esports infrastructure, which aims to create 250 gaming companies and 39,000 jobs by 2030 2.

The kingdom already hosts a gaming market valued at $1 billion with over 23 million active gamers spending an average of 80 hours monthly on games, providing an established domestic market for AI gaming innovations 2.