AI race heats up in the Gulf: Important move from Qatar

The Qatari government will use the power of artificial intelligence to digitize and improve public applications. In this context, the Gulf country has signed a five-year partnership with US-based artificial intelligence company Scale AI. "IT WILL BE AN EXAMPLE FOR STATES" Trevor Thompson, Head of Global Development at Scale AI, said, “This agreement can be an example for other governments around the world. It will also allow us to dedicate ourselves to demonstrating the impact of our work even faster.” The company, headquartered in California, will develop more than 50 artificial intelligence applications for Qatar. These applications will offer tools such as predictive analysis, automation, and advanced data analysis to Qatar. In a statement made by Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, it was emphasized that this collaboration will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of public services. THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RACE HEATS UP IN THE GULF Qatar is competing with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates for artificial intelligence leadership in its own geography. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are making serious investments in smart city applications. Bahrain, one of the leading countries in the region, is also focused on data analytics solutions. There has been no official statement from Qatar or Scale AI regarding the financial details of the agreement. COMPANIES PROVIDING SERVICES TO GOVERNMENTS ARE INCREASING Scale AI has been added to companies such as Palantir, Booz Allen Hamilton, IBM, C3.ai, and Accenture that provide artificial intelligence, technology, and cybersecurity services to governments. Experts claim that many states that want to benefit from the power of artificial intelligence may make similar agreements in the coming period. Founded in California in 2016, Scale AI came to the fore by providing labeled data to train artificial intelligence applications. Correctly labeled data is a very important element that enables artificial intelligence models to perform better. Technology giants such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta also provide this service from Scale AI. Scale AI’s market value is estimated to be $14 billion. The company has raised $1.6 billion in funding by 2025.