A new AI Centre of Excellence ensures to transform Qatar’s economy

In a recent paper, global management consulting firm Oliver Wyman looks at how Qatar may expand its economic diversification by producing world-class Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications and scaling up by establishing an AI Center of Excellence (CoE).

According to the paper, an AI CoE will enable Qatar tap into this increasingly important technology, ensuring that AI is used to benefit and support Qatar’s national agenda. Most importantly, AI has enormous potential to diversify local economies away from oil and gas production.

“It can also play an important role in enabling national visions, ushering in a future of digital opportunity,” said Jad Haddad, Partner at Oliver Wyman.

He added, “For Qatar, building an AI CoE will provide both an integral part of the nation’s digital future and will enable it to deliver impact at a national scale.”

“The Qatari Government is using AI to tackle its most critical national concerns,” added Haddad.

He also said, “AI is enabling innovation and helping in transforming the public sector on multiple dimensions. While it is clear the benefits of AI are already significant, there are of course challenges around execution, in particular across governance and organizational digital capabilities.”

The five strategy pillars of an AI CoE are highlighted in the report: strategy and vision, services, organisation and governance, technology, and funding and partnerships.

Due to the surge of data created across social, machine, and transactional platforms, the development of AI applications in both the business and public sectors has experienced tremendous expansion globally.

Since acknowledging AI’s relevance to global economic growth, GCC countries have made investments in the field. By 2023, GCC AI spending is predicted to expand at a 19 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Several GCC countries, notably the United Arab Emirates in 2017, Qatar in 2019, and Saudi Arabia in 2020, have created AI policies to promote their national objectives.

The Qatar Center for Artificial Intelligence (QCAI) is already operational in Qatar, and it is of critical relevance to the country since it introduces AI strategy as a key facilitator of Qatar’s National Vision 2030.