AI meets archeology in the hands of Saudi innovator

ALKHOBAR: For Saudi innovator Hanin Al-Zahrani, the past is not a distant memory — it is data waiting to be decoded.

At 24, Al-Zahrani is one of the few specialists in Saudi Arabia working at the intersection of archeology and artificial intelligence.

Through her two startups, ArchTech and AeroQuest, she is redefining how cultural heritage can be preserved, translated, and experienced in the digital age.

“My interest in combining archaeology and artificial intelligence began with the question: ‘What if technology could help us read the past more clearly?’” she told Arab News.

“While studying archeology, I realized that many ancient inscriptions remain undocumented or misunderstood due to their complexity or deterioration. This motivated me to explore AI as a tool to analyze patterns, recognize scripts, and uncover hidden stories.”