Qatar’s digital revolution reshaping urban lifestyle

Qatar’s relentless pursuit of digital innovation is reshaping urban management, paving the way for citizens and investors to seamlessly access all services with a tap on their phones, an official at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has said.Speaking at a discussion at the Smart City Expo Doha 2023 on Thursday, Abdulla Jassim A J al-Khenji, project Manager of Logistics Strategy at MoCI, cited Qatar’s significant shift from manual processes to a digitally driven society."Over the last 20 years, I’ve seen Qatar digitalise almost all its services. There is rarely any service that you cannot find online today. The integration of these services is underway, aiming to empower citizens and investors with comprehensive digital rights,” he said.Al-Khenji underlined the key role of artificial intelligence (AI) in policy determination but cautioned against viewing AI as a "magical chatbot”. Drawing an analogy, he compared AI to a car, pointing out the need to steer it in the right direction while considering all stakeholders and potential risks.He highlighted the importance of a participatory approach, where authorities engage with the people to understand their problems and provide effective solutions. About the challenges faced by startups in the digital sector, al-Khenji cited innovative initiatives taken by the Ministry such as a name recommendation system designed to ease the process of choosing a business name.This system, al-Khenji said, utilises algorithms to suggest optimal name formats based on the nature of the business, check for previous registrations, and offer alternative options. He noted that Qatar also embraced hackathons as a means to foster innovation where government entities present challenges, inviting the private sector to collaborate and devise solutions within tight timeframes.Al-Khenji lauded the outcomes, noting that solutions often exceeded expectations and proved cost-effective, showcasing the effectiveness of collaboration between the public and private sectors.