Participants in a panel discussion at the Doha International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Security, held alongside the 16th Milipol Qatar 2026, stressed the importance of strengthening artificial intelligence (AI) governance frameworks, balancing technological innovation with responsible use, protecting data and addressing cybersecurity challenges to ensure the safe and sustainable adoption of modern technologies.
Held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC), the session was moderated by the assistant director of the Systems Development Department at the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Lieutenant-Colonel Dr Ali Ahmed al-Binali.
It examined global approaches to AI ethics, governance and responsible use, with the participation of officials and experts in technology and digital security.
Adviser to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Khalid Nasser al-Hashmi highlighted the need for comprehensive partnerships and a balanced approach to developing AI governance and regulatory frameworks that encourage innovation while protecting society and ensuring a secure digital environment.
He called for a broader partnership involving the public and private sectors and citizens, noting that the traditional public-private partnership concept was no longer sufficient if it remained merely a slogan.
Al-Hashmi added that Qatar’s governance model involves engaging the private sector, industrial, technology and media sectors, as well as citizens, in relevant discussions, given the direct impact of policies on individuals and future generations.
The director of the Security Systems Department at the MoI’s General Directorate of Communications and Information Systems, Lieutenant-Colonel Eng. Ali Abdullah al-Suwaidi, meanwhile said that the ministry had made significant progress in data analytics and AI-powered security analysis, helping enhance public safety and security.
He said that smart systems and video analytics operating without direct human intervention had detected more than 53,000 traffic incidents and violations, including stopping in yellow box junctions, improper overtaking, mobile phone use while driving and driving at low speeds in fast lanes.
These systems, Lt-Col al-Suwaidi said, provide early warnings that support field operations and improve decision-making.
He stressed that AI technologies were being deployed responsibly in accordance with key principles, including legal compliance, privacy, transparency, fairness and accountability.
Lt-Col al-Suwaidi emphasised that AI should support, rather than replace, human personnel and that resource management must remain equitable.
He noted that a dedicated unit overseeing data flows, risk management and policies assesses economic and operational feasibility, develops and validates tests, and monitors potential challenges to enable an immediate institutional response.
Meanwhile, the vice-president for training and executive director of the Artificial Intelligence Centre for Security at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, Dr Abdulrazzaq al-Marjan, underscored the importance of developing national capabilities, strengthening technological sovereignty and verifying AI systems’ operations to ensure the reliability of their outputs.
He said that international discussions on AI and decision-making had highlighted the growing need to link technological risks with decision-making at both national and global levels.
Academic institutions, he added, could help countries develop the capabilities needed to verify and maintain control over AI systems.
The Doha International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Security, runs until October 22
