Reflections on a Conversation with Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN

Two weeks before LEAP 2026, the author attends a leadership dialogue with Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN, at Misk City. Drawing on historical shifts in trade and energy and on the Jevons paradox, the article considers what the Kingdom’s AI moment demands. It argues that a meaningful result cannot be measured by models, data centers, or announcements alone, and that while infrastructure can create the opening, Saudi talent and leadership will decide how it is used.