As artificial intelligence (AI), digital sovereignty and smart-city technologies rapidly reshape economies and societies worldwide, Qatar is well positioned to translate these global trends into locally relevant solutions while maintaining security, privacy and public trust, according to technology expert Dr Thamer al-Qadi.
With more than 25 years of experience in technology leadership, cybersecurity, and digital transformation, al-Qadi, currently the director of Information Technology at Katara Cultural Village, believes Qatar’s next phase of technological development will depend not simply on adopting new technologies but on using them responsibly and strategically.
One of the most significant emerging opportunities is Agentic AI, intelligent systems capable of performing tasks with varying degrees of autonomy.
“Qatar has a strong opportunity to benefit from Agentic AI by using intelligent agents to improve efficiency in public services while maintaining trust, privacy, and security,” al-Qadi said.
He recommends that organisations begin with relatively low-risk applications such as customer support, document management, and scheduling, reporting and administrative processes.
This would allow employees to focus more on strategic, high-value work rather than repetitive tasks.
However, he stressed that strong safeguards must accompany AI adoption.
“AI agents should be given only the minimum access required to perform specific tasks, while important decisions continue to be reviewed and approved by people,” he said.
According to al-Qadi, a successful AI framework should combine clear governance, robust data protection, strong cybersecurity controls, human oversight and continuous monitoring.
Pilot projects should be introduced first, with organisations measuring their results before gradually expanding successful applications.
“The goal is not to build AI agents that can do everything, but to develop trusted AI solutions that support productivity while keeping accountability, transparency, and decision-making under human control,” he said.
The rise of AI is also transforming the skills required by students and professionals.
“Students and professionals need to move away from rote technical execution and focus on system synthesis and prompt architecture,” al-Qadi said. “The critical skills of tomorrow are algorithmic literacy, data curation, and cognitive agility. We need ‘AI orchestrators’, professionals who understand business logic and can direct a fleet of AI agents to execute it.”
He called for universities in Qatar to integrate AI-assisted workflows across disciplines, while teaching students to critically evaluate and audit AI-generated outputs rather than simply producing them.
Beyond technical expertise, he highlighted critical thinking, judgement, creativity, emotional intelligence, communication, adaptability and data literacy as increasingly important capabilities.
Qatar’s startup ecosystem, meanwhile, is entering what al-Qadi describes as a new phase, supported by increased investment and access to capital.
Smart cities and urban technology represent particularly promising areas.
Developments such as Msheireb Downtown Doha demonstrate how Internet of Things (IoT) networks, digital twins and AI can be integrated into urban environments, providing opportunities for startups to develop and commercialise solutions focused on efficiency, sustainability and quality of life.
Logistics and supply-chain technology also offer significant potential, given Qatar’s strategic position as a regional transportation and trade hub.
Technologies covering fleet management, route optimisation, customs processes and intelligent logistics platforms could help create a more connected and resilient ecosystem.
“My view is that Qatar can become not only a market for technology, but a regional hub for developing and exporting it,” al-Qadi said.
As digital infrastructure becomes increasingly cloud-based, he believes Qatar should avoid treating data sovereignty as a simple choice between local infrastructure and international cloud providers.
Instead, organisations should adopt a hybrid approach, classifying information according to its sensitivity.
Highly confidential data, including health records, financial information and government documents, should be protected through trusted local environments or sovereign cloud infrastructure operating under national jurisdiction. Less-sensitive workloads can, meanwhile, benefit from global cloud platforms and their scalability.
Local control of encryption keys, awareness of legal and contractual obligations, and multi-cloud strategies can provide additional protection while reducing dependence on a single provider.
“Data sovereignty should be viewed as a spectrum rather than a binary choice: keep the sensitive and business-critical data close to home, while allowing lower-risk workloads and data to leverage global infrastructure for greater agility and cost efficiency,” he said.
Al-Qadi believes the greatest challenge is not introducing AI itself, but creating an organisational culture capable of using it effectively.
“The biggest challenge facing organisations isn’t the introduction of AI, but rather the belief that simply buying technology is enough to guarantee success,” he said. “Technology alone doesn’t create an advanced organisation unless it’s accompanied by a culture of continuous learning, proactive leadership, and an environment that fosters innovation and experimentation.”
His message to employees: “The question every employee should ask themselves isn’t ‘Will AI take my job?’ Instead, it’s ‘Do I possess the skills to be a partner in this transformation, not just a spectator?’”
For Qatar, the opportunity lies in combining global technological advances with local priorities, strong governance and human expertise, building a smarter, more secure and resilient digital economy capable not only of adopting the technologies of tomorrow, but of developing and exporting them.
