MUSCAT: The Oman AI Summit, held under the patronage of HH Sayyid Dr Kamel bin Fahd al Said, Assistant Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, concluded here on Tuesday, January 30.
The two-day event hosted more than 40 speakers and over 1000 attendees, with a particular emphasis on artificial intelligence and its impact on businesses, the environment, and the economy.
Its second day in particular highlighted legislation and legal policies, in addition to investment in artificial intelligence.
During the first day of the conference, the Communications and IT Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, Dr Ali al Shidhani, disclosed that the Ministry was able to attract RO 55 million investments in AI within the last three years.
Furthermore, several Government officials shared how the government uses AI.
Speaking to Oman Daily, the IT Director at Dhofar Municipality, Ahmed Amer Qatan, shared how the Municipality utilizes AI. “One of the prominent technologies we used is drones, which were used to eliminate seasonal mosquitoes in Wadi Darbat and other tourist locations," he said.
Qatan added, "AI was also used to identify illegal and unauthorized properties using satellite imagery, which is a very easy method to identify and classify illegal properties, such as cement or wooden fences."
According to the official, the Municipality is in the process of launching further smart services that will predict peak congestion times and crowding among many other tools during the next tourist season.
It is worth noting that the Sultanate of Oman recently launched a National Program for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies - in line with the Royal Directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik — to enhance the digital economy in the country.
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