Doha, May 25 (QNA) - Since its establishment on May 25, 1975, the Qatar News Agency (QNA) has undergone a rapid technological journey that has transformed it from traditional journalism based on paper, telephones and primitive transmitters, to an integrated digital media institution that uses the latest artificial intelligence technologies and provides its news services in multiple languages ​​through smart and interactive platforms.

Over five decades, technological development within the agency has not been merely an update of equipment or publishing tools, but a comprehensive strategic transformation that has completely reshaped the news work system, in line with global shifts in the digital media industry.

In its early years, QNA relied on simple journalistic and technical tools that represented the latest available at that time.

News work was done through handwritten texts, telephone calls, fax machines, and "tickers" devices that were used to send news via wires and a private landline network to subscribers and various media outlets.

The press archive was also entirely based on paper files and manual classification, where news, pictures and documents were kept inside specialized files that required a great deal of time and effort to access the required information.

Journalists recall that period as the era of traditional journalism, when obtaining and transmitting news was a complex process that required a long time and limited capabilities, compared to the speed and instant flow of information witnessed in the media today.

With the development of technology, QNA gradually began to modernize its technical infrastructure and move from traditional paper archives to modern digital archiving systems.

This transformation marked a qualitative leap in news content management, as the process of saving and retrieving news and images became electronic and very fast, after it had previously relied on manual searching within paper files.

The new digital systems also contributed to building an advanced database of news, reports and images, which enhanced the efficiency of editorial work and the speed of access to information.

Journalists who lived through both phases confirm that the difference between the previous archive and the current one reflects the magnitude of the technological revolution that the agency has witnessed over the past decades.

With the global expansion of the digital revolution, QNA has entered a new phase of technological development, characterized by its transformation into a multi-platform digital media outlet. QNA no longer relies solely on traditional news bulletins, but has expanded to include its website, mobile applications, social media platforms, and multimedia broadcasting.

This phase witnessed the launch of advanced online news services, enabling the transmission of news moment by moment with audio, images and video, in addition to written texts.

QNA has also developed its presence on social media platforms, becoming an essential part of the modern digital publishing system, relying on interactive content and visual media that suit the nature of the digital audience.

QNA has witnessed a remarkable development in photography and visual production technologies, as it has moved from relying on traditional photographs to an integrated digital system for producing high-quality images and videos.

QNA has begun producing diverse visual content including news videos, infographics, videographs, and interactive materials that combine image, sound, and text.

Modern broadcasting technologies, satellites, and high-speed internet have also contributed to accelerating the transmission of images and videos directly from event sites, after the process of receiving images used to take many hours in the past.

With the development of digital media, short videos and visual content have become one of the most important elements of the agency's media presence across various platforms.

Figures indicate the size of this growing presence, as the number of followers of QNA’s accounts across various platforms reached more than 1,252,000 followers by 2026, while the number of views during the first quarter of the same year exceeded 63 million views, reflecting the wide impact of the digital content provided by the agency.

From May 2018 to April 2025, QNA broadcasted more than 228,000 digital publications, covering various local, Gulf, Arab and international events, in addition to producing more than 9,225 infographics and 5,585 news videos, reflecting the major shift towards visual and interactive content.

As part of its technological development, QNA expanded its multilingual services, moving from broadcasting in one language to providing its news services in several international languages.

Digital translation technologies and smart systems have been a key factor in this transformation, enabling the agency to translate news instantly and quickly into multiple languages.

As part of this development, QNA launched its news services in English, French, German and Spanish, before later expanding to include Russian, Hindi and Urdu using artificial intelligence technologies.

QNA also supported its technical systems with extensive real-time translation services, enhancing its ability to reach a global, multilingual audience.

AI represents the key milestone in the technological development in the history of QNA. In recent years, QNA has adopted an advanced digital strategy that relies on the use of AI technologies in various stages of media work, including translation, content production, report preparation, data analysis, and the development of digital services.

Among the key manifestations of this transformation are the use of AI in multilingual translation, the launch of a smart virtual assistant within the website and applications, in addition to the development of digital tools for preparing news reports, the production of AI-generated videos and visual content, as well as the development of interactive digital services that facilitate user access to news.

QNA also launched its website and news application with a new technological look based on the latest digital solutions, with the integration of AI services to improve the user experience and speed up access to content.

As part of its digital transformation plan, QNA launched modern electronic applications for smartphones, enabling users to follow the news in real-time through advanced interactive interfaces.

QNA also provided new digital services, including audio and video content, and services dedicated to people with disabilities, ensuring that news reaches different segments of society.

QNA's website has undergone continuous technical updates, including design improvements, faster browsing speed, multimedia integration, and the activation of artificial intelligence tools and digital assistants.

Social media has also brought about a major transformation in the way QNA operates, with digital platforms becoming a key part of the news production and distribution cycle.

QNA has adopted advanced digital strategies to produce fast and interactive content that suits the nature of modern platforms, including infographics, short videos, and live coverage.

Digital analytics and interaction measurement systems have also contributed to the development of media content, understanding audience interests, and improving publishing and distribution mechanisms.

QNA has strengthened its technological path through partnerships with global companies specializing in technology and artificial intelligence, with the aim of developing its digital infrastructure and benefiting from the latest technological solutions.

QNA also developed its website and news application to include a smart robot and a virtual assistant for easy access to news content, and to present news in various digital formats.

In line with this approach, QNA has signed strategic partnerships with global technology companies, most notably with Microsoft and Google Cloud, to expand the use of artificial intelligence applications within the agency's various departments.

QNA also participated in specialized international technology events and exhibitions, during which it showcased its latest digital projects and smart applications in the field of media.

These efforts resulted in QNA winning the "Innovation in the Use of Artificial Intelligence in News" award in 2024 and 2025, in recognition of its leadership in employing modern technology to serve media work within its news system.

In addition to technological development, QNA has paid great attention to training human resources to keep pace with digital transformations.

In this context, the launch of the "QNA Training Center" in 2023 came to form a specialized platform for digital media training, as it offers programs in the fields of artificial intelligence, digital journalism, fact-checking, and multi-platform content production.

The center also contributed to raising the efficiency of workers and qualifying them to deal with modern technologies that have become an essential part of the contemporary media industry.

By the end of 2025, the center had successfully graduated hundreds of trainees, with 425 trainees graduating in 2025 alone, while the total number of beneficiaries of its training programs exceeded 1,109 trainees by the end of 2024.

The center also strengthened its partnerships with local and international media and academic institutions, including cooperation with Xinhua News Agency and Al Jazeera Media Institute, within the framework of exchanging experiences and developing modern media skills.

QNA's development was not limited to Qatar, but extended globally through its active presence in major global technological and media events.

QNA has participated in prestigious international events, such as Web Summit Qatar and the Global AI Summit, where it showcased its latest digital technologies and AI-based solutions.

QNA also launched the unified application for the GCC news agencies, supported by artificial intelligence technologies, in a step that reflects the trend towards Gulf media integration and unifying access to reliable official news.

QNA also strengthened its international partnership network with global news agencies and media organizations, with the aim of exchanging content and expertise and expanding international reach. (QNA)