Why Do We Need Artificial Intelligence?

Let us begin with a simple but fundamental truth: when we speak of artificial intelligence in the public sector, we are not talking merely about systems or algorithms, but about human beings. About a mother trying to enroll her child in school. A retiree awaiting his healthcare services. A refugee seeking safety in a new homeland. A young person with a disability who simply seeks to be regarded as a full rights-bearing individual.

If the AI we build is incapable of understanding these people, it has no place in our public services.

Efficiency alone is not enough. AI can accelerate processes, but speed devoid of empathy may become a new source of suffering.

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Government services exist to serve people, not merely to process requests. A truly intelligent system is one that knows when to pause, when to explain, and when to place human beings first.

We are now entering the era of agentic AI, capable of planning and taking initiatives independently. In the public sector, these capabilities represent a genuine qualitative leap; imagine systems that support social workers and accelerate emergency response. But power, no matter how great, if not governed by responsibility, becomes a danger. If AI makes decisions in isolation from human oversight, we risk losing the most essential principle of public administration: the human capacity to bear responsibility. We must build systems that enhance human capabilities, not replace them.

Inclusion is not an add-on feature at the end of a project, but a principle present from the very first line. Does the system speak your language and understand your dialect? True inclusion does not mean merely assisting the most vulnerable, but designing a society where no one has to ask for help in order to feel a sense of belonging.

Amid the enthusiasm for AI advancements, we sometimes forget what citizens desire: clarity, respect, and trustworthy answers. Let us use technology to give government employees more time to listen, not to exclude the human dimension from public service.

Advanced countries have long dominated global discussions on AI ethics, but what about our values? From the Gulf to the Levant and North Africa, we are not merely users of this technology; we are participating in shaping its future. We are building services that reflect our languages and cultures, not imported models.

We are not building AI for technological progress alone.

We are building it for human beings.

And the most advanced systems will not be those with the most powerful algorithms, but those that do not forget for whom they were designed.

Engineer and writer