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The Google team, including Executive Vice President of Generative Artificial Intelligence, Oliver Parker visited Al Jazeera Media Network’s headquarters on November 9 to discuss ways to collaborate in the fields of strategic development, artificial intelligence, and modern technologies, reported Al Jazeera Media Network.The delegation met with Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal al-Thani, Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network, where he highlighted that the Network is working towards establishing a global technological ecosystem to strengthen its position as a leading media institution in the field of adopting artificial intelligence technologies.In another meeting, the visiting delegation met with Ahmad Alyafei, Executive Director of Channels, Ahmad al-Fahad, Executive Director of Technology and Network Operations, Mounir Daymi, Executive Director of the Digital Division, Eman al-Amri, Director of Al Jazeera Media Institute, and the Network’s Strategy Review Committee.The Google team discussed with the Network Strategy Review Committee possible ways of co-operating and implementing Al Jazeera’s projects and creative initiatives to achieve the Network’s vision and goals.One of the most prominent projects presented at the meeting was the idea of the “The Core” project, the first integrated operational model that Al Jazeera is working to implement to integrate journalism with artificial intelligence technologies. It is redefining the formulation and production of news and making humans partners in the production process rather than just a user of technology and a recipient of news.The Google delegation included Yousri Mhedheb, Senior Digital Adviser of Google Cloud, Alex Rutter, EMEA Managing Director of AI, and Ghassan Kosta, Regional General Manager of Google Cloud, who expressed their pleasure to collaborate with Al Jazeera Media Network, as one of the leading media organisations in the region and the world.They toured Al Jazeera’s channels and newsrooms, and learned about the advanced technologies used in the production of media content.It is noteworthy that this meeting was preceded by a series of introductory meetings organised by the Network’s Strategy Review Committee with the Google team and its officials concerned with AI and cloud technologies, to discuss the mechanisms of joint co-operation between the two parties.

With artificial intelligence (AI) transforming every industry, including education, teachers around the world are navigating a complex new era. Despite growing enthusiasm for AI, many teachers remain underprepared to use it effectively; in Qatar, only 30% of surveyed teachers reported a strong understanding of how AI works in education.“This highlights a critical knowledge gap that must be addressed through targeted professional development,” said Reem al-Sulaiti, manager of Research and Policy at WISE, a global education think tank and an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF).Studies led by WISE in collaboration with USC Rossier School of Education, MIT Open Learning, and QF’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University offer a comprehensive view of how educators in diverse contexts are adopting AI tools to personalise learning, manage classrooms, and prepare students for an AI-driven future.These studies, spanning countries such as Qatar, the US, India, the Philippines, Colombia, Ghana, and Uganda, reveal both the promise and the pitfalls of AI in education. Qatar stands out in WISE’s global research as a country with advanced infrastructure and strong enthusiasm for AI in education, yet it still faces critical challenges in teacher readiness and equitable integration.“Despite Qatar’s robust digital infrastructure, the WISE research study in partnership with MIT found that many AI tools are not well integrated into Arabic-language platforms or aligned with local curricula,” al-Sulaiti said.“Teachers emphasised the need for culturally relevant and linguistically accessible tools that support differentiated instruction for diverse learners, including multilingual students and those with special needs.” Although across all five countries in the WISE research study in partnership with USC, 60% of teachers reported that AI helped them tailour instruction to meet diverse student needs – from adjusting content and pace to providing targeted support as enables more personalised learning experiences – many teachers noted that existing AI tools are poorly aligned with local curricula and cultural contexts.“We need AI that reflects our languages, our learners, and our goals,” al-Sulaiti said. WISE’s research also underscores the ethical complexities of AI in the classroom. Teachers expressed concerns about data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the potential for AI to reinforce existing inequalities.In the Global South, inconsistent access to devices, internet, and electricity means that AI tools often benefit high-performing, well-resourced students while leaving others behind. “Equity gaps don’t stem from AI itself but from whether teachers receive training in equitable, inclusive integration,” al-Sulaiti said. Teachers called for AI tools that support struggling learners, multilingual students, and those with special needs. They also stressed the need for institutional policies on data safety, academic integrity, and ethical AI use.

China’s dominance in clean energy has put the country on a singularly strong footing when it comes to competing with the rest of the world — particularly the US — in building artificial intelligence.That’s according to Julian Wentzel, chief sustainability officer at HSBC Holdings, who says an economy built on renewable energy brings with it advantages that can’t be replicated by fossil fuels.“China has put themselves in a very unique position in terms of the energy requirement to fuel their economy and ultimately their AI architecture,” Wentzel said in an interview.The vast build-out of clean energy in China — the country is on track to once again break its own record in installing renewable power this year — “enhances their cost of capital,” he said.Once renewable energy infrastructure is built and the upfront investment has been paid off, producing extra energy carries effectively no incremental cost; fossil fuels, in contrast, require ongoing costs for extraction, transport, refining and distribution, he said.“Once you’ve got the architecture in place, as the demand grows, you can deliver that demand at zero cost,” Wentzel said. As the “percentage cost of every incremental kilojoule of power relative to total GDP declines over time,” it becomes “a very powerful lever to the underlying growth of an economy.”The comments stand in contrast to the policy position of the government in the US, where Energy Secretary Chris Wright has argued that a rapid transition to clean energy will raise energy costs and hurt economic growth. And for now, fossil fuels continue to provide a major share of the energy powering AI data centres.Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said recently the supply of power, rather than the availability of semiconductors, accounted for the biggest bottleneck in data centre capacity. And by some estimates, the energy needs of existing and planned AI infrastructure in the US can’t be met with current supply.That dynamic has created an opportunity for oil majors to cash in on the enormous demand for energy that will be needed to power data centres. Chevron Corp said on Wednesday it will provide natural gas-fired power to a data centre in West Texas, the beginning of a new line of business for the company to capitalise on the AI boom.The global race to dominate AI depends on an array of factors that includes chips and supply chains as well as rare earths and key metals such as copper. But energy supply is key, and because renewables are low-cost to run once infrastructure is built, countries that have greater access to them have an advantage, Wentzel said.China is challenging developments in the West not just due to its dominance in cheap renewable energy, but also due to its approach to building artificial intelligence. That became apparent earlier this year, when startup DeepSeek indicated the country is capable of producing AI at a much lower cost and greater energy efficiency than US rivals.China’s growing dominance is also shaping talks at the COP30 summit in Belem, Brazil, where California Governor Gavin Newsom took several opportunities to warn that the US risks losing out on numerous fronts.One of the great abdications of the climate fight is “the own goal of the president of the US who simply doesn’t understand how enthusiastic President Xi is that the Trump administration is nowhere at COP30,” Newsom said.The US and legacy automakers “better wake up to that,” Newsom said at a press conference. “This is about economic power.”China manufactures about 80% of the world’s solar panels, supplies some 60% of the planet’s wind turbines, 70% of its electric vehicles and 75% of batteries, all at a lower financial cost than the West.To be sure, though China is adding unprecedented amounts of wind and solar, it’s still investing heavily in fossil fuels. That includes coal, which is one of the reasons the country produces almost 30% of global emissions.Wentzel said economies that rely more on clean energy are also more likely to reduce volatility in inflation.“Removing dependence on fuel commodities reduces capital account fluctuations, exposure to inflation and price swings,” he said. “As renewable systems scale, energy costs as a share of GDP can fall, strengthening the financial efficiency of the system and supporting higher economic growth.”

Ooredoo Qatar has been recognised for its outstanding leadership in leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and data science to revolutionise customer experience at ‘Teradata Possible 2025’, an AI and data conference held in the US.Ooredoo Qatar won the c in the ‘AI for Customer Experience’ category. The company’s advanced analytical capabilities and AI-powered customer engagement strategy have set a new benchmark in the telecommunications industry, earning it a top honour at the leading international AI and data conference.At the heart of Ooredoo Qatar’s achievement is its robust data ecosystem, built on Teradata Vantage Cloud and seamlessly integrated with Google Cloud Platform (GCP). By harnessing a powerful AI stack for use cases such as customer segmentation, predictive customer engagement, churn prediction, and sentiment analytics, Ooredoo Qatar has transformed its customer journeys into dynamic and personalised experiences.Ooredoo Qatar’s extensive use of data frameworks has enabled the organisation to understand its customers more deeply through behavioural analysis and to create personalised products.By operationalising AI across the organisation’s customer engagement strategy, Ooredoo Qatar continues to lead the way in delivering innovative, data-driven solutions that enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping journalism faster than any previous technological wave. It can analyse data in seconds, transcribe interviews instantly, and summarise complex reports in moments. It is a powerful ally - but also a demanding one. Because as AI takes over tasks once done by humans, the responsibility of journalists to verify, interpret and protect truth only grows.“AI can accelerate journalism, but it can’t replace human judgment. The faster the tools become, the higher our responsibility grows.”AI can accelerate research, but it cannot understand nuance or context. It doesn’t know when a quote has moral weight or when a number hides a human story. The role of the journalist remains to question, verify and explain. Major news agencies such as the Associated Press and Reuters now allow AI tools only under strict human supervision. The BBC, in its own policy, forbids using generative AI for news gathering without editorial control. The message is consistent: AI is a tool - not a reporter.”What truly matters today is who stands behind information. Every piece of content we see - text, photo or video - must raise the question: Who created this? Why? What do they gain?”A recent Reuters Institute study shows that audiences trust traditional news brands more than AI-generated news. People might admire AI’s speed, but they still trust human judgment and transparent reporting far more. AI can fabricate sound and image with frightening realism. The risk is not theoretical - it’s already here. For journalists, this means treating every visual or audio file as potentially manipulated until verified. Yet technology alone is not enough; the duty of proof still lies with us.Journalism’s mission has not changed: to discover what is true and make it understood. The difference is that in the AI era, this mission demands more skill, more discipline, and more courage than ever before. AI gives us extraordinary reach and speed. But it also exposes us to misinformation at the same velocity. The solution is not to resist technology but to pair innovation with integrity — to build systems that are both intelligent and accountable.AI does not free journalists from responsibility - it raises the bar. In this new landscape, skepticism must be our default setting. Every fact, image, and quote should be treated as potentially altered until proven authentic. Editorial brand remains the ultimate trust anchor. In an age of overwhelming noise, heritage and credibility stand as the clearest signals of truth.FACTSWhat is AI?Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems that perform tasks requiring human-like intelligence — such as understanding language, recognising patterns, analysing data and making predictions. Generative AI goes a step further, creating new text, images and video based on existing information.AI in numbersGlobal data centres currently consume about 1% of the world’s electricity, a figure projected to double by 2030, reaching nearly 945 terawatt-hours per year.(Sources: International Energy Agency, World Economic Forum 2025)Upcoming AI & tech Events in Qatar 2025MWC Doha 2025 (25–26 Nov). Focused on telecom, smart infrastructure and AI-driven innovation.World Summit AI Qatar 2025 (9–10 Dec, Doha Exhibition & Convention Center). Global conference under the patronage of MCIT, uniting industry, academia and policymakers to shape the future of AI.

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an initiative of Qatar Foundation, has announced its lineup of speakers for the WISE 12 Summit, taking place on November 24–25 at the Qatar National Convention Centre under the theme ‘Humanity.io: Human Values at the Heart of Education.’This year’s edition will convene over 200 local and international speakers representing academia, technology, policy, and social impact, united by a shared commitment to reimagine education through empathy, equity, and human purpose. Building on the momentum of the previous summit, WISE 12 will explore how human values can remain at the core of learning systems in an era rapidly transformed by Artificial Intelligence and technological acceleration.The summit’s diverse roster of speakers includes Laila Lalami, award-winning author and novelist celebrated for her powerful explorations of identity and belonging; Mo Gawdat, bestselling author and former chief business officer of Google X recognised for his influential work on AI, happiness and innovation; and Nobel Laureate and MIT Professor Dr Abhijit Banerjee, whose research has transformed global understanding of education and poverty reduction.Continuing this renowned line-up, WISE 12 will also welcome Anousheh Ansari, space explorer and CEO of XPRIZE Foundation, who advocates for inclusive innovation and STEM access; Dr Michael Fung, executive director of Singapore Institute of technology; Fahad Hamad Hassan al-Sulaiti, director general of the Qatar Fund for Development; Omar al-Shogre, director for Detainee Affairs at the Syrian Emergency Task Force and advocate for education access in conflict zones; and Lady Mariéme Jamme, founder of iamtheCODE and a global champion for digital literacy for girls across Africa, among others.With over 60 core sessions including plenaries, research dialogues, and interactive masterclasses, WISE 12 will provide a platform to address how education can evolve without losing its humanity. The summit will explore key questions around ethics in AI, equitable access to quality learning, redefining success and well-being in education, and the role of collaboration across sectors.These questions will be examined across five interconnected thematic tracks: ‘Putting Human Needs at the Heart of Education,’ ‘Realizing the Promise of Progressive Education,’ ‘Navigating the Skills Revolution in Higher Education and Lifelong Learning,’ ‘Catalyzing Multi-Sectoral Systems Change to Transform Education,’ and ‘Centering Education towards Economic Opportunities and Community Resilience.’“WISE 12 is a space where the global conversation on education, technology, and humanity truly converges,” said Stavros N Yiannouka, CEO of WISE. “We are at a defining moment for education systems worldwide. As artificial intelligence and emerging technologies accelerate, it becomes vital to ensure that innovation amplifies human potential rather than replaces it. This summit will gather voices who are not only transforming education but re-centering it on the very values that make us human.”

Investors will seek clues about the health of the US economy in the coming week following worrisome labour market reports and technology-led turbulence that has knocked the stock market off record highs. The S&P 500 ended on Friday with a weekly decline after three straight weeks of gains. The benchmark index was last down about 2.4% from its all-time closing peak on October 28 even after a generally strong third-quarter earnings season for large US companies. This week, concerns about expensive equity valuations, especially for high-flying stocks linked to enthusiasm over artificial intelligence, were exacerbated by tepid jobs data, including a report that showed surging layoff announcements from US employers.Alternative data released by private sector bodies have become more important for investors because the US federal shutdown that began on October 1 has limited government releases."We're not getting a lot of economic data," said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial. "At current valuations and the kind of gains that we've seen... investors are just starting to be a little bit more cautious. I don't think that is bad, but it is coming at a time where there is growing uncertainty around the pace of growth in the economy."Investors were gauging whether the pullback in equities represented profit-taking and a healthy reset after an extended climb, or the start of a more severe slide. Fears that stocks are in an "AI bubble" have kept Wall Street on edge, with the benchmark S&P 500 up 14% year-to-date and 35% since its low for the year in April.The S&P 500 technology sector, which has led the bull market that began more than three years ago, has been hit harder in this latest drawdown, falling about 6% since last week. A series of reports on Thursday suggested deteriorating US labour market conditions. Data from workforce analytics company Revelio Labs showed 9,100 jobs were lost in October, while US employers' planned layoffs soared to over 153,000 last month, global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said. The Chicago Fed estimated that the US jobless rate likely edged up in October to the highest in four years.That data came a day after the ADP National Employment Report showed private employment rebounded by 42,000 jobs in October.The Challenger layoffs report, combined with the lack of government jobs data, "raises a red flag in terms of whether or not the labour market has really stabilised," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities in New York.Next week would have been a busy week of economic data, with government reports due on consumer and producer prices and retail sales. Those releases are poised to be delayed due to the shutdown. Investors will instead seek insight on the economy from traditionally more secondary reports, including the small business optimism index due to be released on Tuesday by the National Federation of Independent Business.As investors weighed the economic impact of the shutdown, the US transportation secretary warned on Friday the government could force airlines to cut up to 20% of flights if the shutdown did not end.The lack of government data is muddying the outlook for the Fed, which must decide whether to cut interest rates again at its next policy meeting in December. After the central bank eased by a quarter percentage point for a second straight meeting on October 29, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said another such reduction was not a foregone conclusion."The Fed needs help trying to figure out what's going on in the jobs market. They're getting seemingly conflicting signals and what they decide to do in December has ramifications obviously for the stock market," said Chuck Carlson, chief executive officer at Horizon Investment Services. Fed funds futures late on Friday were pricing in a roughly 65% chance of a rate cut in December. Before Powell's October comments, investors had viewed such a cut as almost a done deal.Investors were watching for developments that might suggest the end of the shutdown, which this week became the longest in US history. Focus was also on remaining high-profile quarterly reports, as a stellar earnings season in general nears a close. With 446 companies in the index having reported, 82.5% posted profits above analyst expectations, which would be the highest beat rate since the second quarter of 2021, LSEG IBES said on Friday. Reports due next week include Walt Disney and tech stalwart Cisco Systems. Those lead up to the quarterly report the following week from semiconductor firm Nvidia, the largest company in the world by market value that has symbolised investor enthusiasm for AI."I would just expect a little bit more volatility around technology leaders and technology as a whole heading into that Nvidia report," Saglimbene said.

The stock market didn’t crash this week. But after a seven-month spasm of retail-borne speculation, parts of the casino started clearing out.Cracks emerged across the risk-on landscape as bloated valuations and fresh doubts over the real-world payoff of artificial intelligence dragged US tech stocks to their worst week since April. Losses in megacaps like Palantir Technologies Inc and Oracle Corp. rippled through leveraged ETF and meme trades.The clearest signal of speculative distress: The crypto engine is sputtering. After a parabolic surge, Bitcoin and its peers have endured a violent unwinding that shattered confidence. This week, the coin slid repeatedly toward $100,000 amid a drought of ready buyers who had watched billions of dollars in leveraged positions get wiped out just weeks earlier — a shock the market has yet to recover from.Wall Street veterans have been warning for weeks that AI-fuelled tech valuations were outpacing fundamentals. That caution is now showing up in the same fast-moving trades where retail and institutional risk-taking had quietly converged — from upside-levered ETFs to crypto wrappers. Inflows haven’t vanished, but the payoff is no longer one-way.Peter Atwater, a professor of behavioural economics at the College of William & Mary, says the biggest blow yet to gambler spirits came Monday, when despite beating earnings forecasts Palantir saw its stock fall 8% the next day. The company, trading at a price-earnings multiple in the hundreds, is a bellwether for both hyperscaler tech and meme sentiment, he said.“It sits in the same neighbourhood as AI, as crypto,” he said. “Thematically, all of these different elements have the same intense-confidence correlation. These are all crowd favourites. So this is a crowd phenomenon.”The pullback isn’t universal. But for the first time in months, the speculative surge that once moved in near-lockstep is fragmenting. In equities, some high-octane trades are unravelling. A Meta Platforms Inc-linked ETF fell 8.5% this week and another focused on Palantir shed 22%. A Strategy Inc-minded product has slid more than 20%. Leveraged quantum and Super Micro Computer Inc. trades buckled, too.The group of tech giants known as the Magnificent Seven dropped 3% this week amid questions over their spending plans tied to AI infrastructure. A comment from OpenAI Inc’s CFO about the possibility of the government needing to “backstop” financing further grated nerves.“If you watch this week, there’s been a decided negative bias to what people are saying about AI,” Atwater said. “If we see the mood deteriorate, the scepticism should rise, the scrutiny should intensify. And those would be behaviours that ultimately limit the potential of the market to bounce.”Over the past week, indexes tracking meme stocks, non-profitable tech companies and recent IPOs all pulled back. An ETF focused on recent market entrants fell 5%, the most since September, while a basket of non-profitable names within the innovation space dropped 7%, the most since August.Meanwhile, more than $700mn has been pulled from digital-asset ETFs over the past week alone, including nearly $600mn from BlackRock’s Bitcoin fund and $370mn from its Ether counterpart. Solana and Dogecoin-linked products are down double-digits since their recent launches. Even the freshly minted MEME ETF — pitched as a retail sentiment play — is off more than 20% since its launch a month ago.“Investors are on edge,” said Stephen Kolano, chief investment officer at Integrated Partners. “Seems like the profit taking is coming from the things that have run the most since early April which is AI and anything connected with it which explains the pressure in” cryptocurrencies.That shift may matter beyond the meme complex. Retail risk appetite — from prediction markets and tokenised assets to Robinhood Markets Inc.’s fresh boom — helped fuel 2025’s bounce across broad markets despite stress on the tariff and labour market front. But now, with the gap between winners and losers rising and some risky trades draining capital, liquidity could be getting tighter at the edges.None of this signals a broader crash. The S&P 500 is off just 2% from recent highs. But for a crowd used to buying the everything-goes-up narrative, this week lands differently: Timing matters again. The tide may not be lifting all boats. Leverage cuts both ways.Bitcoin’s 15% slide over the past month is raising eyebrows not just for its scale, but its timing. A growing camp of Wall Street analysts now sees the token as a lead indicator for both high-volatility tech stocks and retail-driven liquidity. Among the chief concerns flagged in recent days is that so-called whales — investors who hold large, long-term positions — have been declining, according to Citi. This cohort has in the past tended to hold onto their hoards even during the roughest of declines.“Bitcoin has a knack for sniffing out things ahead of time,” said Bloomberg Intelligence’s Eric Balchunas. “It’s always trading, so there’s a lot of chances for it to be a price-discovery vehicle. It’s open all the time — like a 7-Eleven. And the people who trade Bitcoin are perpetually online and so plugged in.”The reversal is especially striking given the political momentum behind digital assets. Bitcoin’s early-year surge was powered in part by President Donald Trump’s campaign to rebrand the US as the crypto capital of the world. But after peaking near $4.4tn in October, the total market cap of digital tokens has since dropped nearly 20%, wiping out most of 2025’s gains. For traders betting that regulatory clarity would unleash a new supercycle, the speed of the comedown has been sobering.“There’s simply not enough new capital to offset locals exiting. Too many in the industry just can’t stomach another crypto cycle — they’ve had enough, both financially and emotionally,” Marex’s Ilan Solot wrote in a note this week. “For the uptrend to resume, the whales need to stop selling. Stabilising ETF flows would help too.”

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that South Korea will step up plans to build a self-reliant military by significantly bolstering its defense capabilities, while continuing efforts to resume talks with North Korea."We will significantly strengthen our national defense capabilities and make sure we realize our hope for self-reliant defense," Lee said during the speech for his administration's first annual budget.In particular, Lee said South Korea aims to turn its defense force into a "smart and strong" military by using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.Lee outlined a 728 trillion-won spending plan for 2026, up 8.1% from this year, highlighting full-scale investment in the AI industry."(The government) will significantly expand investment to open the era of AI and lay the ground for future growth," he said, adding that the government earmarked 10.1 trillion won for AI transformation to help South Korea become one of the world's top three AI powers, sharply up from 3.3 trillion won this year.Investment in research and development across strategic industries — including AI, content and defense — also surged 19.3% from this year to a record high of 35.3 trillion won.Lee said the government plans to create a 150 trillion-won public-private fund over the next five years to nurture strategic industries driving economic growth.For defense, the government allocated 66.3 trillion won, up 8.2% from this year, to upgrade conventional weapon systems into cutting-edge capabilities and accelerate the realization of "self-reliant defense.""Relying on external forces for our defense is a matter that hurts national pride," said Lee, who has pledged to retake wartime operational control from Washington within his term, which ends in 2030.Meanwhile, Lee said South Korea's tariff deal with the United States secured tariff levels equivalent to those of competing countries in key export sectors, such as automobiles and semiconductors, establishing a foundation for fair competition on "a level playing field."

Experts and futurists in medical education and artificial intelligence (AI) from around the world gathered in Doha for a conference organised by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), which explored how technological breakthroughs are revolutionising healthcare and the way medicine is taught.The 2nd Medical Education Technology Conference brought together thought leaders in medical education, technology and the humanities from institutions in Qatar, the US, the UK and the Netherlands to explore the impact of new advances in AI, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) on healthcare and education.The conference, titled “The Power of Connection: Leveraging Technology for Humanistic Medical Education”, addressed the need to integrate study of the humanities with utilisation of advanced technologies to ensure medical education remains human-centered, ethical and compassionate.The conference, co-directed by professor of clinical medicine and vice-dean for academic and curricular affairs Dr Thurayya Arayssi and Dr Anna Halama, the assistant professor of research in physiology and biophysics, also discussed the opportunities and challenges presented by advances in technology.“New technologies, particularly AI and immersive learning, offer us incredibly powerful teaching tools that have the potential to make medical education radically more effective,” Dr Arayssi said. “However, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that these disruptive technologies are deployed in ways which enable medical education programmes to continue to cultivate empathy, compassion and creativity in future physicians.”The conference featured a series of presentations by expert speakers, Q&A panel discussions, and multiple opportunities for attendees to gain hands-on interactive experiences with technologies such as immersive content creation and VR simulations.Presentations discussed the impact of AI on the cognitive development of students and physicians, the emotional and psychological effects of immersive technologies used for medical simulation-based teaching, and the potential benefits of “gamification” teaching methods.The expert speakers at the conference were drawn from elite international medical and educational institutions, including Weill Cornell Medicine in New York; Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; the University of Cambridge, UK; Kenyon College, Ohio; UCI School of Medicine, California; Southern Illinois University School of Medicine; Amsterdam University Medical Centre; and Princeton University, New Jersey.The event drew participants from all over the world, with healthcare professionals, educators and students in attendance from Qatar, the wider Mena (Middle East and North Africa) region, the US, Europe, India and elsewhere.“This excellent event underlined that the judicious integration of AI and technological advances into medical education has the potential to enhance the acquisition of skills, knowledge and professionalism, which can all help improve patient care,” said WCM-Q dean Dr Javaid Sheikh. “At WCM-Q, we believe in embracing innovation to improve healthcare education, while also working hard to maintain the humanistic values of compassion, care, and empathy that form the core principles of responsible physicianship.”

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) held a workshop on ‘Using Generative AI for Internal Auditors’, bringing together 124 professionals from across industries to explore how Artificial Intelligence is transforming the future of auditing. The workshop offered practical insights into leveraging Generative AI tools to enhance audit procedures, enabling auditors to perform their roles more efficiently and add greater value to their organisations. Participants also gained hands-on experience with AI tools and engaged in dynamic discussions on integrating technology into everyday audit practices. The event was led by trainers Hatem el-Safty and Yousif Hussain, who shared their deep expertise on AI adoption and its applications in the internal audit profession. During the workshop, they emphasised the transformative potential of Generative AI in the internal audit profession. They highlighted how AI can assist auditors in performing audit procedures more efficiently. The trainers also emphasised that while AI can significantly enhance audit quality and speed, the human auditor’s judgment, ethics, and professional scepticism remain crucial. The experts also encouraged participants to embrace technology as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement, underscoring the need for auditors to continuously upskill and adapt in an increasingly digital audit environment.

As part of efforts to advance the implementation of the Government Resource Planning and Management System Project, members of the project’s steering committee took part in the Oracle Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 in Las Vegas in USA.The conference is one of the world’s leading platforms showcasing the latest developments in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data analytics, and AI governance.The delegation’s participation aimed to explore the latest international applications and experiences in human and financial resource management systems, artificial intelligence solutions, cloud technologies, and big data analytics, supporting Qatar’s drive to enhance digital transformation and unify national systems across government entities.The visit came within the framework of Qatar’s agreement with global technology giant Oracle, marking a key step in developing the country’s digital infrastructure and leveraging Oracle’s expertise to build integrated smart systems powered by AI, cloud computing, and big data analytics. The partnership seeks to strengthen institutional integration and improve the efficiency of government resource management.Mashaal Ali al-Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Government Affairs at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Chair of the Committee, said: “This visit reflects our commitment to building an integrated digital ecosystem through strategic partnerships with global technology leaders. It supports our efforts to enhance the efficiency of government resource management and improve the quality of public services.”Al-Hammadi added that the collaboration with Oracle represents a pivotal step toward adopting AI and cloud technologies in managing human and financial resources, and in developing intelligent systems that support decision-making and institutional performance, in line with the goals of the Digital Agenda 2030 and the country’s vision for a fully data and knowledge-driven government.On the sidelines of the conference, committee members held several bilateral meetings with Oracle executives and representatives of other global technology firms to review leading international experiences in AI and cloud computing applications. The discussions focused on opportunities for development, knowledge exchange, and aligning best practices with the needs of Qatar’s national project — contributing to faster implementation of digital transformation initiatives and improved efficiency in government operations.The Oracle Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 provided a dynamic platform for these engagements, highlighting the latest global trends in AI and cloud technologies. It showcased how advanced data analytics can drive innovation and enhance institutional performance, with sessions focusing on intelligent cloud applications in human resources, finance, and supply chain management, as well as the future integration of AI and cloud computing as key drivers reshaping business and service models worldwide.The Steering Committee delegation for the Unified Government Resources Planning (UGRP) was established by a Cabinet decision and includes representatives from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau.