The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar speaks at the opening session of the Web Summit (Al Jazeera)

Doha

- In its opening session, the Web Summit 2024 focused on the need to unleash innovators and entrepreneurs to enhance the use of technology as a tool that helps people live their lives better.

In order to achieve this, the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani, announced an investment worth one billion dollars to support entrepreneurs and emerging projects in Qatar and the region.

This came during the launch of the summit activities hosted by the State of Qatar for 4 days for the first time in the Middle East and Africa, with the participation of a group of the most prominent figures, innovators, creators and officials from around the world, including representatives of Amazon, Meta, Google, Shell, Huawei, Snap, TikTok and Web.

The summit, which witnessed a large audience, shed light on the future of artificial intelligence and stressed the importance of continuing investment in this field and enhancing international cooperation to develop artificial intelligence technologies.

The challenges and opportunities facing the field of artificial intelligence were also reviewed, and ideas and knowledge were exchanged on how to use technology to promote sustainable development and achieve progress in various fields such as medicine, education, industry, agriculture, and others.

I was pleased with what I saw at the Qatar Web Summit 2024 in terms of the participation of major technology institutions and the innovative digital solutions they offer, and I hope that hosting the summit in its regional version will provide a platform for governments and the private sector to keep pace with the rapid development of the technology sector in the world.

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- Tamim bin Hamad (@TamimBinHamad) February 26, 2024

New era

In his speech before the summit, the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that the 2024 Web Summit comes to confirm Qatar’s position as a promising interface for technology and investment, explaining that Doha’s hosting of this summit comes in line with the Qatar National Strategy 2030 to advance the technological business system in the country.

The Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister considered the “Web Summit” to be the place where the future is born, as it is the first time that this event comes to the Middle East region and all the influencers and experts who consider Qatar as their home participate in it.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani stressed that we stand on the threshold of a new era, not only in terms of technological progress, but also in terms of human achievements.

He added that until a short time ago, technological progress was taking place on isolated islands, pointing out the importance of our journey and our understanding of the transformative power that this progress provides, and that digital technology, for the first time, seeks to achieve human results and outcomes that were previously difficult to imagine.

He explained that through artificial intelligence and various technologies, we can build a new ecosystem that works interoperably, which contributes to innovation and invention in various technological fields such as the Internet of Things and others, stressing that this transformation would remove the obstacles that prevent the comprehensive participation of all.

The Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister stressed that thanks to trade, technology and means of communication, the world has become more connected, and it has become easier for everyone to participate in these discoveries and inventions, whether they are individuals or major international institutions.

He continued that our common goal must be to enable technological progress, especially for developing countries, and that this progress must be comprehensive and not limited to fortunate individuals, and must flow freely to and from everyone.

Today, we are hosting the Qatar Web Summit 2024 for the first time in the Middle East, which comes in line with Qatar's national strategy to advance the technology business ecosystem in the country.

This confirms the country's position as a promising destination for the technology and investment sector in the region.

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- Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman (@MBA_AlThani_) February 26, 2024

Moral responsibility

He also stressed that in addition to technological progress and technological responsibility, moral responsibility is our top priority and we must ensure that this technological progress serves the good and provides good for everyone. Invention in itself is not an end, but rather a means towards achieving a higher goal, and therefore all these ways It must be done in a responsible manner.

The opening session of the summit was addressed by the CEO of the Web Summit, Catherine Maher, who expressed her happiness at holding the first Web Summit in the Middle East.

Catherine added that over the past few years we have begun to notice more energy from the region and a growing presence from the Middle East at our events, calling for unleashing innovators and entrepreneurs to provide new and innovative solutions to the challenges facing the world, taking advantage of rapid technological developments.

She stressed the importance of the 2024 Web Summit in providing an ideal platform for exchanging ideas and experiences between entrepreneurs and investors from all over the world, which will contribute to enhancing international cooperation and advancing innovation in the region.

In turn, the Jordanian-American founder and CEO of Replicate, Amjad Massad, reviewed the future of artificial intelligence and its role in serving humans, stressing that artificial intelligence represents a massive technical revolution that will change various aspects of our lives.

Massad explained that artificial intelligence has the ability to improve the efficiency of many sectors such as medicine, education, manufacturing and transportation, which will contribute to improving the quality of life for everyone.

He also pointed out the importance of international cooperation to ensure that artificial intelligence is used responsibly and ethically, stressing that artificial intelligence should be used to serve humanity and not harm it.

Massad called for unleashing the potential of artificial intelligence, stressing that artificial intelligence has the ability to make the world a better place.

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There is a huge turnout to participate in the #QatarWebSummit 2024, which kicks off today until February 29, in the presence of thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, technology sector leaders and experts from around the world.

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- Al Sharq Newspaper - Qatar (@alsharq_portal) February 26, 2024

Challenges and opportunities

The opening session witnessed the participation of a number of experts and entrepreneurs from around the world, where they discussed the most important challenges and opportunities facing the world in light of rapid technological developments.

The opening session also included an open discussion between a number of experts and entrepreneurs about the future of technology, the importance of international cooperation to ensure the responsible and ethical use of technology, the role of entrepreneurs in promoting innovation in the region, in addition to the challenges facing the world in light of rapid technological developments.

The opening session received great interest from the attendees, as many questions and discussions were raised about the most important topics that were discussed.

It is noteworthy that the Web Summit was founded in 2009 by Irish businessman Paddy Cosgrave and British businessman David Kelly. The summit was held in Dublin, Ireland, until 2016, and then moved permanently to Lisbon, Portugal.

The Web Summit represents an annual global event in which specialists in this field from all countries of the world meet, and it focuses on technology issues and contributing to providing effective solutions.

Source: Al Jazeera