News

Jordan’s $45M Push To Boost E-Government & Digital Economy

Authorities hope to digitize public sector services and improve infrastructure by 2025, but societal and technical challenges remain.

Published

1 year ago

December 2, 2024

Nour Nasir

jordan's $45 million push to boost e-government and digital economy

Shutterstock

Jordan is stepping up its digital transformation efforts with a $45 million investment aimed at modernizing public services and driving forward its digital economy. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship recently shared plans for how funding will be allocated, with a strong emphasis on using technology to enhance the public sector. The eventual ambitious goal is the digitization of all government services by the end of 2025.

A significant chunk — 43% of the budget — will be directed toward building digital infrastructure under the E-Government Program. According to the ministry, “to date, some 60% of the estimated 2,400 government services have been digitized,” and this number is expected to grow sharply by 2025 as the government ramps up its efforts.

Despite the promising plans, Jordan faces some tough challenges: Budget constraints have previously slowed progress, and the country continues to grapple with a shortage of skilled professionals in key emerging technologies. On top of that, many citizens have been slow to adopt e-services and digital payment systems, which has further hindered the push for a modern, tech-enabled public sector.

Also Read: The Most AI-Proof Career Opportunities In The Middle East

To overcome these hurdles, the ministry emphasized the need for a comprehensive strategy that goes beyond just implementing new technologies. Social and cultural factors also play a significant role in determining how well people embrace digital tools. Bridging these divides will be essential to ensure that digital government systems are not only implemented but widely used.

For Jordan to achieve its lofty goals, collaboration across government departments will be required, along with a strong focus on addressing societal barriers. However, with the right strategy in place, the massive investment could pave the way for a more efficient and inclusive digital future.

News

At I/O 2026, Sundar Pichai Concedes AI Must Deliver Real Value

Gemini 3.5, a personal agent called Spark, agentic shopping, and Android XR eyewear are all aimed at making AI feel useful, not just impressive.

Published

6 days ago

May 20, 2026

Nour Nasir

at io 2026 sundar pichai concedes ai must deliver real value

Google

Google’s annual I/O developer conference (I/O 2026) has recently become a status update on the same question: can the company turn its AI spending into products people use every day? This year, chief executive Sundar Pichai described Google as being in a phase of hyper progress, while conceding this is the part of the cycle where people want to see real value in the products they use on a day-to-day basis.

The strategy on display was to push agents — AI systems that act on a user’s behalf — into nearly every Google product at once. Search now has an “intelligent search box” that returns generated explainer videos alongside links. Gmail, Docs, YouTube and Maps are gaining their own agent layers, including a Docs Live feature that turns spoken instructions into drafted text with citations.

Two new models, Gemini 3.5 and a cheaper Gemini 3.5 Flash, arrived the same day. Google says 900 million people now use Gemini, and that more than 50 billion images have been generated with it. The pricing tier names are likely to confuse buyers: a new AI Ultra plan launches at $100 a month, while the older Gemini AI Ultra drops from $250 to $200.

The flashier announcements were Gemini Omni, a video generator pitched as a more realistic answer to OpenAI’s discontinued Sora 2, and Gemini Spark, a personal agent that handles recurring tasks across a user’s Google account. A new universal shopping cart lets agents complete purchases across multiple retailers from inside Google itself, placing the company between the merchant and the buyer, and also owning the checkout.

Also Read: DJI Teases Dual-Camera Osmo Pocket 4P For 2026 Launch

Google also confirmed its Android XR eyewear, built with Samsung and frames from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Audio-only glasses ship this autumn; a display-equipped version, which would superimpose live translations into the wearer’s field of view, is still in development. Both sets translate, however only the display version shows you the result.

What Pichai did not resolve is the bargain underneath all this. An agent is only useful to the degree it knows your calendar, your inbox, your shopping history and your physical surroundings. Google has now confirmed that, in time, the same context may carry advertising.