Doha: The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to deliver advanced artificial intelligence projects that accelerate digital transformation across the ministry. The collaboration is set to revolutionize the ministry's operations with cutting-edge technology.
According to Qatar News Agency, the partnership includes the launch of the Awqaf AI Factory, a unified technology environment featuring high-performance computing infrastructure for data processing and model training. It also includes AI platforms built on the ministry's extensive archives, marking a significant step in digital transformation.
The ministry becomes the first government entity to partner with Google Cloud after the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Mohammed bin Hassan Al Malki, Director of Human Resources and Vice Chairman of the Business and Systems Development Committee, stated that cooperation began in January 2024, leveraging Google's technologies to enhance administrative efficiency.
Key initiatives highlighted by Al Malki include the Smart Khateeb Assistant, Media Agent for video generation, Smart Sermon Evaluator, and Real-Time Sermon Translator. Jassim bin Abdullah Al Ali, Director of Da'wah and Religious Guidance, emphasized the Smart Sermon Evaluator's ability to deliver rapid results, identifying assessment aspects beyond traditional methods.
The ministry has also migrated Islamweb, one of the world's most visited Islamic platforms, to Google Cloud, boosting security, scalability, and AI-powered search and fatwa services. Mohammed bin Abdul Latif Al Mahmoud, Assistant Director of Mosques, noted that the Smart Khateeb Assistant supports preachers with reliable scholarly content, relevant topic suggestions, and human-in-the-loop editing to enhance sermon effectiveness.
Hatem Al Muhandis, Engineering Director at Google Cloud Gulf, praised the partnership for demonstrating how AI can preserve Islamic culture while improving operational efficiency. He added that Awqaf is Google Cloud's largest government partner after the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.