Panellists during the discussion.
Doha, Qatar: Artificial intelligence (AI) will transform how people engage with Qatar’s government and cultural institutions, enabling faster, simpler, and more personalised services as complex tasks are managed more efficiently, according to market experts.
Speaking at a panel session during the recently concluded Artefact AI Connect Summit, industry leaders highlighted the role of AI in the public sector.
Director of Planning Quality and Innovation at the General Directorate of Customs, Layla Al-Nisf, said that by 2030, government services could become significantly more proactive and straightforward as AI takes on much of the complexity involved in processing information and making assessments.
“Most of the complexities will be done in the background by AI,” Al-Nisf said, describing a future in which citizens and businesses encounter services that are simple and easy to navigate, even when sophisticated systems are operating underneath.
She pointed to customs as one area where this transformation could have a direct impact. By the end of the decade, goods and travellers could move through Qatar’s borders more seamlessly, while AI handles risk assessments, data analysis and other decision-support functions.
Al-Nisf emphasised that the objective is not simply to introduce new technology, but to simplify government services while maintaining trust, security and quality.
“If we want an AI solution to serve you, we have to link it to a specific outcome,” she said, stressing the importance of connecting AI initiatives to measurable improvements in the user journey.
Meanwhile, panellists outlined that AI is also changing how audiences interact with Qatar’s cultural institutions.
Director of Digital Experience at Qatar Museums, Asma Al-Jefairi, said that students and visitors could experience the country’s heritage and culture in ways tailored to their individual interests, languages and circumstances in the years ahead.
Rather than simply viewing exhibits, audiences could interact with cultural content through conversation, exploration and personalised digital experiences.
Qatar Museums manages a broad cultural ecosystem that includes museums, creative hubs, heritage sites, artworks and thousands of artefacts. With such a large volume of content available, Al-Jefairi said one challenge is “helping audiences navigate it without becoming overwhelmed.”
She highlighted the institution’s AI Tour, which enables visitors to generate personalised journeys across cultural sites and programmes based on their interests and needs. AI is also being used to expand accessibility, including support for French and Chinese, while conversational technology can allow audiences to engage with artworks and cultural sites in new ways.
Al-Jefairi remarked that the goal is to create digital experiences that are more meaningful, relevant and accessible.
General Manager at Microsoft Qatar, Ahmed El Dandachi, noted that the starting point should be that AI is designed to augment human capabilities rather than eliminate the need for people.
“AI will never replace humans,” El Dandachi said. “AI is here to amplify and to help humans be more responsible.”
He mentioned that responsibility as a central consideration in determining how entities deploy AI, alongside the potential for the technology to improve efficiency and productivity and contribute to economic and business outcomes. The official added that companies are increasingly examining which tasks can be handled by AI agents, which can operate automatically, and where humans should remain directly involved in decisions.
As Qatar’s public institutions explore the possibilities of AI, the emphasis from the sector’s leaders is increasingly on outcomes to make services simpler, improving accessibility, strengthening decision-making, and creating experiences that are more responsive to the people who use them.
