AMMAN — The government's launch of "Farah", an AI-generated government spokesperson, should be judged less by her appearance or presentation style than by the economic value she creates and the signal she sends to investors about the Kingdom's digital ambitions, economists said.

 

The government has introduced Farah as its first official digital spokesperson as part of efforts, it said, to modernise government communication and accelerate digital transformation.

 

Designed to deliver government information in simplified colloquial Jordanian Arabic, Farah will present updates on projects under the Economic Modernisation Vision, as well as briefings on sectors including health, education and infrastructure, the government said when the service was launched.

 

She will initially appear in official videos produced from the Prime Ministry, with plans to eventually integrate the digital character into government platforms and messaging applications, particularly WhatsApp.

 

Experts told AlRai News Paper that the initiative comes as Jordan's information and communications technology sector has developed into an industry generating more than $3.6 billion in revenue and supporting over 46,000 jobs.

 

Against that backdrop, they said, artificial intelligence is no longer solely a technical issue but one increasingly linked to investment, employment, productivity, exports and high-value services.

 

MoussaSakit, a board member of the Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI), said Farah could provide a practical example of Jordan's move towards a digital economy, in line with the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2023–2027 and the Economic Modernisation Vision.

 

He said the initiative should go beyond being a media experiment and demonstrate Jordan's ability to adopt and develop AI solutions, helping strengthen investor confidence in a market with skilled talent, technical capabilities, infrastructure and supportive policies.

 

Sakit said an English-language version of Farah could also be used to engage international investors and present Jordanian investment opportunities at conferences and exhibitions.

 

He said that the platform could direct potential investors to official sources for additional information, turning Farah into a technological gateway to Jordan's investment offering rather than simply another government information channel.

 

At the same time, Sakit stressed that the system must rely exclusively on verified official information that is regularly updated and should not generate or present fabricated facts.

 

Financial and economic expert Mohammad Hadeb said Farah's significance extends beyond its novelty, arguing that the initiative could send an important economic signal to international technology investors.

 

When a government visibly incorporates AI into its own operations, investors may interpret this as evidence that the technology is being treated not as a future concept but as part of the country's current institutional and economic environment, Hadeb said.

 

Jordan's National AI Strategy 2023–2027 includes 68 projects and initiatives aimed at positioning the Kingdom as a regional hub for AI investment, capacity-building, research and development and entrepreneurship, while improving public-sector efficiency through AI, he noted.

 

In that context, Hadeb said, Farah could become a practical test of the state's ability to translate strategy into implementation.

 

He said that the English-language version could offer a particularly significant opportunity if linked to international investment conferences and developed into a multilingual platform providing up-to-date information on investment opportunities, priority sectors, incentives and success stories before directing investors to human officials.

 

The initiative's success, he said, should ultimately be measured not by the number of videos Farah produces but by tangible outcomes, including the number of investors reached, inquiries converted into meetings and projects that progress towards implementation.

 

Hadeb also called for Jordanian companies to benefit directly from the initiative by developing local expertise in AI, content production, machine translation, data analysis, cybersecurity and voice and image technologies.

 

Rather than simply adopting imported AI products, he said, Jordan should use the experience to develop domestic capabilities, with the longer-term goal of enabling Jordanian companies to provide AI solutions to governments across the region.

 

He also warned that the public debate surrounding Farah makes transparency and governance particularly important.

 

Citizens should be clearly informed whenever they are interacting with AI-generated content, he said, while human officials should remain accountable for accuracy and mechanisms should be established to correct errors and protect data.

 

IhabQadri, who represents the garments and textiles sector at the Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI), said Farah could serve as a small-scale example of Jordan's ability to move from discussing digital transformation to putting it into practice.

 

Global technology companies, he noted, consider factors such as digital readiness, the availability of skilled workers and the speed at which new technologies are adopted when choosing investment locations, in addition to traditional incentives.

 

Economist IyasShuaibi said he did not favourcriticising AI experiments simply because they were new, noting that several countries are pursuing similar initiatives.

 

The real test, he said, would be whether Farah can effectively handle investor inquiries and provide reliable information to support decision-makers.

 

This article was first published in Al Rai Arabic daily.