Muscat: The Ministry of Interior launched the second version of Intakhib app which will be used by voters to cast their ballot for the 10th term of Majlis Ash’shura under the auspices of Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al Busaidy, Minister of Interior, on Monday.
Sayyid Hamoud affirmed that the ministry is moving ahead with the digitalisation of all services and programmes as part of its digitalisation strategy and the utilisation of advanced technology and artificial intelligence to facilitate the process for both voters and candidates.
The Ministry of Interior organised a media meeting to explain the updates and new features of the second version of Intakhib application.
The Ministry reviewed the artificial intelligence technology that introduced an audio reading feature for the first time to enable people with visual impairments and the sign language feature for people with speech and hearing impairments to enable them to cope with the electoral processes.
Abdulrahman bin Ali al Hinai, director of the Intakhib Application project explained that the audio description feature for people with visual impairment will be applied starting from opening the app, uploading the ID card and selecting and confirming the candidate.
This initiative announced at a press conference, positions Oman as the pioneering country globally to integrate artificial intelligence features into the electoral process.
Abdulrahman bin Ali al Hinai, Project Director of the “Intakhib” application, showcased key updates during the press conference. The updates include features such as audio reading capabilities for the visually impaired and sign language integration for individuals with hearing and speech impairments. The audio comment feature is particularly impactful, empowering visually impaired individuals to cast their votes independently through an intuitive and user-friendly interface.
Al Hinai emphasised that the speed of capturing a personal photo for the voter has become faster in the new version by adding the feature of identifying whether the eye is open or closed — for visually impaired individuals — so that they can exercise their electoral rights and choose their candidate through an audio file containing the names of the candidates for the same electoral headquarter.
Shaikha bint Mohammed al Jassasiyah, a visually impaired individual, praised the app’s new features, affirming the right of all people with disabilities to vote independently and without assistance. She noted that the additions to the application facilitate the voting process for blind people without any help from any location.
Sultan al Amri, representing the deaf and mute community, shared his positive experience with the user-friendly interface and smooth electronic voting process provided by the application. He commended the Ministry of Interior for fostering inclusivity and easing the voting experience for individuals with hearing and speech impairments.
This makes Oman the first country globally to integrate AI features into the electoral process.
Ahmed bin Abdullah al Maamari, the project director of the electoral register overseeing the “Election” app, presented various electoral services included in the application and the new artificial intelligence features for analysing voting indicators and predicting voter percentages every hour. For the first time, voter data will be published based on the geographical distribution of villages, states, and provinces, including age groups, during the voting day.
Al Maamari mentioned that the artificial intelligence service consists of an hourly newsletter, estimates, and statistics for the previous hour and the upcoming hour during the voting day. Al Maamari pointed out that Oman is the first country in the world to integrate artificial intelligence features into the electoral process.
Al Maamari highlighted the updates made on the discussion platform, which received improvements by introducing visual aspects through which various issues and topics related to the electoral process are discussed.
The advancement has been achieved by hosting a group of officials from the Ministry of Interior, former members of the Majlis Ash’shura, several academics, researchers, journalists, media professionals, heads and members of student advisory councils at universities, members of Omani student associations outside Oman, and individuals with special needs.
It is in addition to the main themes and sub-topics brought up by users of the discussion platform related to various aspects of the electoral process.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
