(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Joel Johnson
|
The Peninsula
Doha: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to accelerate Qatar's GDP growth by 2.3 percent and generate a significant $5bn in revenue by the decade's end, said officials, noting a remarkable global impact on its economy.
During an AI Tour hosted by Microsoft yesterday, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, H E Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai; the President of Microsoft EMEA, Ralph Haupter; and the General Manager of Microsoft Qatar, Lana Khalaf highlighted AI's significant progress in the country.
The event, which convened business leaders, government officials, and technology professionals highlighted that the Qatar is transforming into a global leader in AI innovation and is expected to deploy 13,000 employees by 2030.
Minister Al Mannai addressed the gathering and said“Qatar has witnessed significant progress in Artificial Intelligence as part of its Digital Agenda 2030.
Efforts aim to integrate digital government projects and adopt innovative solutions to enhance efficiency and strengthen public-private collaboration.”
“The private sector's role in supporting digital transformation and developing national talents is highly valued, along with fostering knowledge exchange to enrich understanding of cutting-edge technologies,” Minister Al Mannai stated.
President of Microsoft EMEA Ralph Haupter
During his speech, the President of Microsoft EMEA, Ralph Haupter said“AI is one of the platforms we see helping to change the world and there are already positive impacts. We see the impact across businesses and public services. AI gives us the perspective that by 2030, the world will grow its global GDP by 5 percent.”
“We are excited that you allow us to partner with you on your vision for 2030. It's not only about the contribution of the $11bn that you see to the economy, but it's also for us the path on how we see you being focused on building new jobs and the vision to always generate another 13,000 jobs based on technology,” he added.
On the other hand, the General Manager of Microsoft Qatar, Lana Khalaf noted that organisations in Qatar will get a leader of $5.5x for every $1 they invest in Gen AI. However, the true impact of AI lies in its diffusion on integrating into Qatar's economy, industries, and daily lives.
Khalaf added“We at Microsoft remain committed to landing this transformation and mission with you and Qatar to accelerate our journey of cutting-edge innovation with Qatar's vision 2030. It's a vision of sustainability, diversity, and prosperity and it's time to move from ambition to action, from exploring AI to delivering AI to its full potential for every person, every business process, every organization, and every industry, in Qatar.”
General Manager of Microsoft Qatar Lana Khalaf
The event also recognised local innovation through the AI Excellence Awards for Qatar-domiciled entities carrying out successful AI solutions.
Some of the awardees include the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport, QatarEnergy LNG, Qatar National Bank, Qatar Tourism Authority (Visit Qatar), Vodafone, and Microsoft's hackathon winner 'Hawks Team'.
The Doha stop is part of Microsoft's AI Tour, a series of events that span across 60 cities worldwide. Under the theme 'AI for Everyone: AI Innovation Today and Tomorrow, the AI Tour in Doha presented participants with a comprehensive program of hands-on sessions led by top Microsoft executives and AI experts.
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