Doha, November 24 (QNA) – The AI Week 2024 kicked off Sunday at Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) in Doha, in the presence of HE Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST), Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, and several officials of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, along with a host of Their Excellencies ambassadors accredited to the State of Qatar, with the participation of a contingent of technology professionals, leaders, innovators, and academics.

The AI Week 2024 celebrates the 15th anniversary of the establishment of QSTP, through a diverse program that features lectures by professional experts, panel discussions, workshops, live technology demonstrations, and inspiring speeches. The event attracts professionals, researchers, and startups operating in the field of AI, alongside technology enthusiasts from all over the world.

In his opening remarks, President of QSTP Dr. Jack Lau expressed his pleasure in holding this event at the park, which underscores the unflappable commitment to enhancing the domestic technology system and promoting the State of Qatar’s role as a key central hub for innovation and technological advancements at the domestic and global levels.

He added that such events highlight QSTP’s commitment to enhancing cutting-edge technologies and innovations in line with its unwavering efforts to support Qatar’s national and strategic objectives, the Qatar National Vision 2030, the third National Development Strategy, and digital agendas.

QSTP honors its legacy in 2024 as the gateway of technology to the Middle East and the world, ushering in a new era of advancements combining 7 of the largest AI service providers which are evidently at the vanguard of AI in advancing AI-powered cutting-edge technologies and robots, Dr. Lau highlighted, emphasizing that QSTP drew over 40 startups operating in the area of AI and strove to explore innovative solutions that stirred things up in various industries at home and abroad.

He declared that QSTP unveiled a new strategy to help startups, talents, and nascent firms integrate with ecosystems in Qatar through a whole-of-government approach, and has been providing numerous opportunities to the new technological firms, underscoring its position as an integral part of the Qatar Foundation system that strives to advance the community.

For her part, Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Industry Affairs at MCIT, Reem Mohammed Al Mansoori, said the topic of AI not only shapes the future of Qatar, but rather enables humanity, affirming that throughout generations, the lifeline of Qatar has existed in the depth of the sea, represented by pearl divers who have had outstanding courage and skill and encountered massive dangers, but doggedly continued with determination, believing in the possibility of discovering treasures that could alter their lives and communities.

Al Mansoori affirmed that Just like the forebears in Qatar, what is beneath the Earth can’t be predicted, but the extraordinary potential is well-known, as the past pearls built the foundation of Qatar, subsequently the achieved milestones in AI will determine the future of this country and its standing among nations in the world.

She emphasized that AI is not merely a technology, but rather a strength for evolution, projecting that by 2030, AI will yield $15.7 trillion in the global economy more than the combined GDP of China and India currently, highlighting that what makes AI far more superb is not the numbers, but rather the way it multiplies human potential as the technology is currently being leveraged in numerous sciences today.

Al Mansoori added that the government of the State of Qatar has allocated QR9 billion to advance technology and innovation programs and place AI at the heart of urban and economic growth, elucidating that through the national AI strategy, Qatar has integrated AI with fundamental services such as managing traffic operations and improving energy and public safety, positioning the Qatari cities as smart and more appropriate and enduring for all residents to live.

Vice President of Computer Science and Digital Innovation Technology at Shell, Dan Jeavons discussed his vision, in terms of AI’s future and its history and brought its first roots back to the 1940s, and subsequently evolved until 2022, noting the investments spearheaded by Qatar and numerous countries of the region in this area.

Jeavons highlighted that a real opportunity lies in Qatar to be a leading country in the Middle East, in terms of technological advancements, and leveraging the technology as the core of AI to serve societies.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Relationship Manager at QSTP Essa Al Jamali said the park intends to support the ambitious youth in technology, adding that throughout the past years, it has offered funding programs and supported the companies, in addition to forging partnerships with all institutions operating in the technological field, from universities and think-tank centers in general.

QSTP is the incubator of AI through embracing AI professional firms that steadfastly operate in robotics, translation, programming, and many applications being showcased by exhibitors at this event, with more than 200 firms at home and abroad. (QNA)