Doha, October 21 (QNA) - A panel discussion at the Doha International Conference on AI and Security (Doha-AIS 2026) examined the challenges and opportunities emerging from advances in artificial intelligence (AI), as the conference took place alongside the 16th Milipol Qatar 2026.

The panelists underscored the importance of beefing up digital innovation and intelligent forecasting mechanisms to substantially improve crisis-response efficiency and advance decision-making frameworks across a variety of critical sectors.

Held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC), the panel discussion brought together a pantheon of officials and technology and digital security specialists who discussed predictive intelligence, crisis leadership, and decision-making superiority. They delved into technological solutions and the strategic thrust toward leveraging AI in crisis management and decision-making processes.

Director of the Digital Innovation Department at Qatar's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) Iman Al Kuwari emphasized the pivotal significance of predictive AI in strengthening decision-making systems and crisis management. She noted that the primary challenges during crises do not stem from a shortage of information, but rather from tight time constraints and rapidly evolving circumstances.

MCIT is committed to furnishing leaders and decision-makers with timely information and mechanisms designed to help them make proactive, well-informed decisions, Al Kuwari underscored, highlighting key integrated capabilities that serve as a model for Qatar's national AI system.

She explained that these capabilities encompass a data fabric, designed to provide reliable, standardized information from various government entities and agencies; a prediction engine, intended to help institutions anticipate future developments with a high degree of confidence; and a decision-making cockpit, designed to steer leaders toward the most accurate options and analyses.

  The capabilities also include governance and accountability to ensure human responsibility, auditability, and data protection, alongside interoperability and expertise to bolster government integration and deliver efficient services to citizens and employees, Al Kuwari continued.

Al Kuwari further highlighted Qatar's substantial achievements in this field, particularly its deployment of predictive systems to manage crowd movements across eight stadiums during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The integration of AI into legislative and research processes has also substantially reduced the time required to prepare analyses and responses from days to literally mere minutes, she asserted.

For his part, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Dr. Mohammad Saleh Ali AlShaikh underscored the importance of addressing operational and cybersecurity challenges. He noted that intelligent systems can effectively monitor unusual situations and help fend off potential cyberattacks targeting or tampering with stadium data.

He added that efforts were being made to bolster routine and predictive maintenance to address dynamic loads and sudden electrical surges, thereby helping ensure the stability of the power supply to data centers.

Research at HBKU focuses on integrating AI with physics to enhance predictive accuracy, safeguard data center infrastructure, and improve the energy efficiency of graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), and the electrical grid in a hot climate such as Qatar's, Dr. AlShaikh pointed out.

For his part, Cisco Systems Senior Vice President Dr. Guy Diedrich said the world is experiencing an unprecedented pace of technological advancement in AI, stressing that flexibility, chameleon-like adaptability, and a prompt response to technological evolution are fundamental to growth and continuity in the decades ahead.

Rapid advances in AI and quantum technologies are having a direct impact on network infrastructure and cybersecurity, Diedrich remarked, underscoring the acute need to invest in intelligent networks with high levels of security to safeguard against emerging digital risks and challenges at the same pace as these technologies evolve.

Diedrich also highlighted findings from the company's AI Readiness Index, which showed that only about 13 percent of business leaders worldwide are fully prepared to work with AI technologies, despite substantial investment in this vital sector.

The findings, he said, underscore the gap between the scale of investment and organizations' actual readiness to adapt to this digital transformation.

Head of Global Defense at Scale AI William Long said AI has become a fundamental pillar of the defense sector and modern warfare, stressing that it is no longer merely an option but an integral part of military strategies that must be adopted to avoid adverse consequences.

He explained that the rapid evolution in the use of AI agents and dynamic planning enables military institutions to integrate multiple models and continually update their assessments, allowing them to address emerging challenges and potential errors with greater flexibility than traditional, static planning approaches.

Long further noted that the most acute challenge lies in accelerating decision-making and processing the immense volume of data and information streaming from sensors without falling prey to strategic miscalculations or overlooking potential points of failure.

Running through October 22, AIS 2026 serves as a forum for exploring ways to leverage AI-powered technologies to support security operations and withstand evolving challenges. The conference thus underscores Qatar's standing and role in bolstering security cooperation at both the regional and global levels. (QNA)