How artificial intelligence is transforming the Hajj experience in Saudi Arabia

A viral video showcasing Saudi Arabia’s AI-powered security platform has offered a glimpse into how the Kingdom is using artificial intelligence to manage one of the world’s largest religious gatherings. From crowd monitoring and satellite analysis to multilingual robots, technology is increasingly shaping the Hajj experience and improving pilgrim safety.

Every year, millions of Muslims converge on Makkah for Hajj, creating one of the largest and most complex crowd-management challenges on the planet. This year, Saudi Arabia is leaning heavily on artificial intelligence to help keep pilgrims safe.

A video circulating on X has drawn attention to the Kingdom’s growing use of AI during the pilgrimage. The clip appears to show officials demonstrating a sophisticated monitoring platform capable of analysing crowd movement and activity in real time. Behind the scenes, however, the technology ecosystem supporting Hajj is far more extensive, combining satellite imagery, computer vision, geospatial analytics and AI-powered assistants to help authorities manage vast crowds across the holy sites.

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🇸🇦 Saudis are using one of the most advanced AI surveillance systems in the world to monitor millions of pilgrims in Mecca

Tracking crowd movements in real time and analyzing density patterns

Managing crowds at this scale is a security challengepic.twitter.com/uwnlHt80V8

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 31, 2026

How Saudi Arabia is using AI to monitor crowds during Hajj

At the centre of these efforts is a platform known as Roya, developed by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior’s General Directorate of Public Security.

The system combines artificial intelligence, remote sensing technologies and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to provide authorities with a detailed operational picture of activity across Makkah and the surrounding holy sites.

Rather than relying solely on…

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