AMMAN — Jordan is seeking to move beyond adopting artificial intelligence (AI) towards developing national capabilities and ensuring that the technology contributes to economic and social development, according to industry representatives.

 

The national AI summit entitled "from Adoption to impact", organised recently by the Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (Int@j), provided an opportunity to highlight the Kingdom's progress in AI adoption, government initiatives and efforts to prepare the workforce for technological change.

 

CEO of the ICT Association of Jordan (int@j), Nidal Bitar, said the timing of the summit was particularly significant ahead of the Jordan-EU Investment Conference scheduled for November 19, providing an opportunity to showcase Jordan's technological potential to international partners.

 

“Jordan is full of potential and is really focusing on AI, not just from adoption only but also manufacturing AI, if I may say,” he said.

 

He added that the objective was to ensure AI generated economic and social benefits that contribute to the country's prosperity.

 

Nidal said Jordan had made considerable efforts to develop policies and regulations and encourage companies to adopt AI technologies.

 

He noted that the Jordan Academy for Government and Administrative Development was working to spread AI knowledge and awareness among more than 200,000 government employees, while national initiatives were also targeting the application of AI in education and healthcare.

 

According to an Int@j survey conducted approximately a year ago, around 60 per cent of surveyed technology companies were already incorporating AI into their operations, a figure Nidal expected to exceed 80 per cent in the next measurement.

 

He also cited the Microsoft AI Index, according to which Jordan ranked 29th globally and third among Arab countries in AI use.

 

Beyond adoption, industry representatives stressed the importance of ensuring that women and young people participate in and benefit from the country's technological transformation.

 

Head of Women Economic Empowerment Unit-SHETECHS at int@j, Zain Asfour, said women's participation should be viewed as an essential component of the technology sector's economic growth rather than as a separate empowerment agenda.

 

“We look at women as an essential partner in growth, a main driver in creativity and innovation,” she said.

 

Asfour cited figures indicating that although women account for more than 50 per cent of university graduates in technology-related fields, their contribution to the sector stands at around 32 per cent. Their representation falls further to 14 per cent in technical roles and 4 per cent in leadership positions.

 

She said these gaps highlighted the need to strengthen women's career progression and ensure that qualified female professionals could access opportunities across the technology industry.

 

This year, Int@j integrated its Women Economic Empowerment initiative, previously organised through a separate SHETECHS forum, into the national AI summit.

 

“The decision this year was that the narrative of separating initiatives that support females from the workforce, the private sector and the economy should change,” Asfour said.

 

“Women are part of the workforce and we cannot look at them in a separate agenda,” she added.

 

The summit also sought to engage younger generations in shaping Jordan's technological future. Asfour highlighted a student competition in which participants presented videos outlining their vision for Jordan in 2033 and how AI could address real-life challenges and improve people's everyday lives.

 

She said bringing students together with representatives from government, industry and academia was important to ensuring that the future workforce could participate in and benefit from technological transformation.

 

Discussions at the summit also highlighted the importance of digital sovereignty, national data capabilities and the development of skills needed to manage and apply AI responsibly.

 

Participants stressed that Jordan's ambitions would depend not only on access to advanced technologies, but also on developing local expertise, strengthening infrastructure and ensuring that women and young people had equal opportunities to contribute to the sector.