Qatar’s AI mandate seeks human element within collective

Doha, Qatar: Qatar's rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and data infrastructure is placing digital sovereignty and national control of technology at the forefront of its digital transformation, according to Rahul Arya, CEO and Managing Partner for Artefact in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Arya told The Peninsula on the sidelines of the Artefact AI Connect Summit at The Ritz-Carlton Doha that AI has become a sovereignty issue, with whoever controls AI likely to control the emerging economic order.

Countries are increasingly moving beyond adopting existing technologies and are building their own computing capacity, specialized data environments, and sovereign large language models (LLMs). In Qatar, this includes the development of a national data bank, in which Artefact is collaborating with the National Planning Council. Arya explained that data is being collected from various economic aspects to lay the foundation for the National Data Bank.

Beyond convenience, experts stress that AI control is no longer a simple enterprise strategy, but an integral part of national identity and economic independence. At the Artefact AI Connect Summit, high-level keynotes emphasized technical transformation, leading to a more contemplative consensus. The summit coincided with Qatar's intensified investment in infrastructure, capabilities, and partnerships for a data- and AI-driven economy.

Under the Digital Agenda 2030, Qatar aims to generate around QR40bn in cumulative economic impact and create 26,000 jobs in the ICT sector by 2030.

The event discussed Qatar's digital strategy as a means to deploy code for the collective, while also acknowledging the deliberate effort to preserve human presence within an increasingly automated structure. When questioned about the tension between large-scale data aggregation and regulatory requirements, Arya highlighted strict governance to ensure data handling compliance.

He stressed that transparent governance and keeping humans in the loop are crucial to addressing concerns about resource-intensive data centers and worker displacements. Arya concluded by stating that people should view AI as a tool to augment their work abilities, rather than a competitor that may replace them.