Qatar ranks among the pioneer nations in embracing technology and artificial intelligence, promoting research, and fostering innovation in artificial intelligence and various other burgeoning technologies to fulfil the Qatar National Vision 2030 objectives.
In line with this, the Ministry of Labour has shown a strong commitment to innovation, strategies for digital transformation, cloud technology, and artificial intelligence. Moreover, Qatar's Ministry of Labour is distinguished as the first in the Middle East to utilise A100 GPUs and incorporate them into its various programs.
Aligned with the goals of Qatar's National Development Strategy, and as a part of its mission to spearhead and manage digital transformation, the Ministry of Labour initiated a distinctive cloud transition journey in November 2022 on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. This initiative is designed to revitalise the management of the labour sector, refine its operations, and boost the ministry's customer satisfaction ratings.
The focus of the Transformation Management Office extends beyond merely digitising and transforming the ministry's user services. It's also committed to creating innovative solutions using agile software development, cloud-native services, and other advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver a smooth user experience for customers and stakeholders.
The ministry has commenced the execution of a novel strategy set to incorporate artificial intelligence into its 2024 initiatives. These initiatives will demand rapid computing, the capability to handle large-scale data, and the utilisation of AI to augment production and machine learning tasks. Some of these projects will aid various government sectors in identifying current obstacles, performing gap analyses, and conducting data evaluations. This has led to the adoption of new tools to facilitate data analysis and intricate scenarios, enabling informed decision-making and the formulation of effective strategies for the sustainable evolution and expansion of both the labour sector and the nation's economy.
The primary platform of the Ministry of Labour will host an extensive range of labor market information, necessitating sophisticated machine learning and natural language processing models to handle inquiries pertaining to Qatari labor laws and to develop a system that bolsters the qualified workforce. Utilising the most recent Azure infrastructure, the Ministry will gain access to state-of-the-art supercomputing facilities and the newest AI technologies, including improved operations, Infiniband networks, and cutting-edge GPUs. These will significantly enhance the efficacy, performance, and scalability of AI initiatives, all while maintaining stringent data security and confidentiality standards.
Reflecting on this advancement, Shaikha Najwa al-Thani, Assistant Undersecretary for Migrant Labour Affairs at the Ministry of Labour, remarked: "Partnering with Microsoft is crucial for harnessing the most up-to-date technologies and solutions available in the market. Together, we've crafted innovative solutions that are pioneering in their field. The incorporation of this new GPU infrastructure marks a notable milestone in Qatar's dedication to adopting the most advanced technologies for enhancing management and service effectiveness."
Public Sector Director, Microsoft Qatar, Amr Samir, said: "We are pleased to see the Ministry of Labour, in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, as a leader in a new era of artificial intelligence. The inclusion of A100 GPUs in the Ministry of Labour's initiatives and platform is particularly key to enabling the development and deployment of large language models to address the unique and comprehensive use cases of such national initiatives."
Strategic Planning and Digital Transformation Advisor (Ministers Office) at the Ministry of Labour, Salim al-Barami, said: "We're harnessing cutting-edge digital transformation technologies and are in the process of trialing AI-enhanced learning platforms, which we plan to introduce progressively in line with the strategic goals of the Ministry. This journey of advancement and growth has been made possible through the substantial support of HE the Minister Dr Ali bin Smaikh al-Marri".
The AI infrastructure empowers the platform to fully utilise modern language models, ensuring not just the efficiency of the platform's services but also their adaptability to the changing needs of the national labor market. Consequently, this boosts the Ministry of Labour's capability to serve its stakeholders effectively and to sculpt the future of Qatar's labour force with unmatched accuracy. As Qatar progresses on its path to becoming an international center for innovation and technological progress, the embrace of AI serves as a clear indication of the nation's dedication to continuous improvement and distinction.
