Lana Khalaf, Director of Microsoft in Qatar, uses the “CoPilot” program from Microsoft almost constantly in her work (social networking sites)

On the sidelines of the Web Summit held in the Qatari capital, Doha, Al Jazeera Net had a meeting with the Director of Microsoft in Qatar, Lana Khalaf, during which she talked about the most prominent current trends in technology and ways to benefit from them.

Microsoft projects in the Middle East

Khalaf Bedaya spoke about the technology giant's projects in the Middle East, specifically in Qatar, and mentioned that Microsoft gives great importance to the Middle East and Qatar in particular, and this is what made it move its main data center in the Middle East to Qatar.

It was mentioned that the data center located in Doha is adopting artificial intelligence technology in many business models that are of interest to Microsoft customers in Qatar, whether from the government or private sector.

The era of artificial intelligence

By answering the question that has become the primary concern for those following technical trends, which is where Microsoft is heading in the age of artificial intelligence for users?

The director of Microsoft in Qatar said that the average user has become the focus in this field, especially after the launch of "Open AI", the chat program that relies on artificial intelligence, "ChatGPT", supported by Microsoft.

That is why Microsoft has developed plans to build an integrated ecosystem around its well-known tools such as Microsoft Office using artificial intelligence, which it calls "Copilot", which has become part of Microsoft's productivity tools.

Microsoft's pavilion at the Web Summit showing the logo of the CoPilot artificial intelligence program (Al Jazeera)

Will the programmer's profession remain?

When we asked about the future of developers with the presence of artificial intelligence and the widespread fears about the extinction of some professions due to the encroachment of artificial intelligence, Khalaf had another opinion. She believes that artificial intelligence exists to help developers in their work.

Khalaf says that using artificial intelligence in programming, correcting and writing code sentences will make the developer’s work easier and move it to a different level, and she stressed that artificial intelligence should not be considered a competitor to developers and programmers, but rather an assistant to them.

I clearly stated that the name "Copilot" means assistant, which means that there is a leader that the assistant must serve, and this assistant will not operate automatically or in "Autopilot" mode.

Khalaf added that one of Microsoft's principles for the ethical use of artificial intelligence is to ensure that artificial intelligence is used in a responsible manner so that machines are not replaced by humans.

As for supporting startups and entrepreneurs, Khalaf confirmed that Microsoft’s presence today at the Web Summit is to support this sector. Microsoft brought with it the Microsoft Global Startup Program to support these companies by providing guidance, guidance, and support to startups and entrepreneurs.

How does Microsoft's manager use artificial intelligence?

When Lana Khalaf, the director of Microsoft in Qatar, was asked about the most important applications that she uses in her work and that she cannot do without currently, she answered that at the present time she uses the “Copilot” program from Microsoft almost constantly.

Khalaf gave an example of how Microsoft's AI-powered software facilitated her daily work as a manager at one of the largest technology companies in the world.

She says that now, due to her presence at the Web Summit, most of the time she is unable to access her mail on a regular basis and respond to the accumulated messages, but through CoPilot, she is now requesting a summary of all the messages and identifying what needs to be responded or done. Thus, her productivity has become better and she can devote herself to interviews during the Summit. .

What is Microsoft’s Qatar manager’s advice to women working in the technology field?

Khalaf believes that women have all the capabilities that make them lead the largest technology companies, and there are many examples in the West, but what she notes is that women need greater confidence that prompts them to seek these positions in the Arab world, and that the environment is prepared to give them this role if they have confidence internally.

Source: Al Jazeera