Doha, Qatar: Qatar has positioned itself as a regional and global hub for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The country’s commitment to advance in diversified digital economy is driven by innovation and cutting-edge technologies.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of World Summit AI – Qatar 2025,
Dr. Fethi Filali (pictured), Director of Technology & Research (CTO) at Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC), a Qatar University center, underscored several national initiatives aimed at supporting the growth and development of AI.
Dr. Filali highlighted that hosting this international event in Qatar for the second time reflects the country’s continued commitment to advancing the adoption of artificial intelligence. “It’s an important moment for the region,” he said.
“Globally, every nation is working to strengthen its position in AI and develop strategic capabilities. Qatar is strategically building its own foundation in this field, and gatherings like this summit play a key role in accelerating collaboration, learning, and progress.
“Qatar is well-positioned to lead the region. The announcement of the Fanar 2.0 platform is a significant milestone in the development of sovereign AI models in the region,” he added.
The platform is a national, sovereign model that guarantees the highest levels of privacy and data protection. It allows organisations to run the model within a fully closed ecosystem, which enhances trust and enables the use of AI without exposing sensitive data to risk.
“MCIT’s signing of strategic partnerships with Malomatia, Accenture, Google Cloud, Microsoft, Oracle, and Scale AI demonstrates Qatar’s commitment to building a resilient and future-ready digital ecosystem. These agreements, signed under the GovAI Program, are critical to strengthening national AI capabilities and enabling government entities to integrate advanced technologies into their core operations. It is a decisive step that positions Qatar to advance regional leadership in smart governance and digital innovation,” he said.
This summit has brought together all the stakeholders to create more opportunities, to showcase what the country is doing on the government side, but also on the private sector as well.
“We have seen several use cases from ministries and authorities in Qatar showcasing AI solutions that are already deployed and delivering services to end users,” he said.
Dr. Filali pointed out that the Third Qatar National Development Strategy (2024–2030) is designed to support the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030 by setting strategic priorities for national development. As part of this framework, the Digital Agenda 2030 aims to build a thriving digital economy by enhancing digital infrastructure, government services, technologies, and innovation.
The agenda targets the creation of nearly 26,000 new jobs in Qatar’s ICT sector and an economic contribution of around QR40bn (approximately $11bn) by 2030.
Speaking about major events such as World Summit AI – Qatar 2025, Mobile World Congress (MWC25) Doha, and Web Summit Qatar 2026, he noted that together these major events play a vital role in stimulating Qatar’s AI ecosystem and demonstrating the country’s progress both locally and internationally.
Dr. Filali also noted that public–private partnership in the era of AI is no longer optional; it has become essential given the speed at which the technology is evolving and the significant impact AI can have on economic development and diversification, he said.
