Ashraf Siddiqui
Doha
Minister of Communications and Information Technology HE Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai has lauded the private sector’s role in supporting digital transformation and developing national talents, as well as fostering knowledge exchange to enrich understanding of cutting-edge technologies.
Mannai was speaking at the inauguration of Microsoft AI Tour in Qatar on Monday.
The event addressed Qatar’s National Vision for AI-powered growth and the government’s commitment to advancing AI-driven projects across key sectors.
Mannai said, "Qatar has witnessed significant progress in Artificial Intelligence as part of its Digital Agenda 2030. Our efforts aim to integrate digital government projects and adopt innovative solutions to enhance efficiency and strengthen public-private collaboration.”
The one-day event reflects Qatar’s ambition to become a global leader in AI innovation. The Doha stop is part of Microsoft’s AI Tour, a series of events that span over 60 cities worldwide.
Under the theme ‘AI for Everyone: AI Innovation Today and Tomorrow’, the AI Tour in Doha offered attendees a comprehensive programme spanning keynote presentations, technical workshops, and hands-on sessions led by top Microsoft executives and AI experts. This global initiative underscores Microsoft’s commitment to empowering organisations across the public and private sectors to leverage AI to deliver real-world impact.
The AI Tour in Doha also celebrated local innovation through the AI Excellence Awards.
Recognising Qatar-based organisations that have implemented successful AI solutions, the awards spotlighted the achievements of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Labour, Ooredoo, Public Prosecution, Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport, QatarEnergy LNG, Qatar National Bank, Qatar Tourism Authority (Visit Qatar), Vodafone, and the Microsoft’s hackathon winner ‘Hawks.AI Team’.
Each organisation was acknowledged for its significant contributions to AI deployment, which have led to transformative improvements across their respective sectors.