Tarjama&'s Pronoia LLM to power Ask Aqaba assistant
Arabic-first Ask Aqaba chatbot to targets 6 million annual visitors
#Jordan #tourism - Jordan's Ministry of Digital Economy & Entrepreneurship has partnered with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and language technology and Arabia AI company Tarjama& to launch ASK AQABA, a project to create an AI-powered tourism assistant for the Red Sea port city. Tarjama& and its sister company Arabic.AI will develop the Ask Aqaba smart assistant on its proprietary Arabic-first large language model Pronoia. The assistant will be able to provide real-time information to over 6 million annual visitors to Aqaba about tourism, investment and local services.
SO WHAT? - The Ask Aqaba smart assistant is Tarjama&’s most high profile Generative AI contract win since launching Arabic.AI in April. The implementation could also turn out to be the biggest volume user of the company’s proprietary Arabc-centric LLM Pronoia, aiming to serve up to 6 million Aqaba visitors per annum. The project is sure to serve as a key stepping stone for Tarjama& to drive further adoption of its Arabic language platform across the region.
Here are some key details about Ask Aqaba and Tarjama&:
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and language technology and Arabia AI company Tarjama& have signed an agreement for the development of ASK AQABA, an AI-powered tourism assistant for the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) under the supervision of Jordan's Ministry of Digital Economy & Entrepreneurship.
Tarjama&’s sister company Arabic.AI will develop the chatbot on its proprietary Arabic-centric large language model Pronoia, tuning it specifically for Aqaba's tourism and investment landscape. Ask Aqaba is Arabic.AI’s highest-profile project since the brand’s launch in April this year.
The Ask Aqaba smart assistant system is to be developed under a Japan-Jordan AI ecosystem framework agreement signed in 2022, with JICA providing technical cooperation and funding support.
Aqaba attracts over 6 million visitors annually. The city’s proximity to UNESCO World Heritage sites Petra and Wadi Rum, have made it Jordan's primary tourism gateway.
The Ask Aqaba AI assistant will serve multiple user groups including international tourists, local visitors, potential investors, and businesses seeking information about Aqaba's special economic zone benefits.
The project will leverage existing data assets from the ASEZA to create a comprehensive knowledge base for the generative AI system. Ask Aqaba will support the port city’s positioning as a regional business and tourism hub competing with Gulf destinations.
Tarjama& brings 16 years of Arabic language AI expertise and serves over 700 clients globally, including Fortune 500 companies and governmental organisations across MENA, US, and Europe.
ZOOM OUT - Jordan and Japan signed a comprehensive artificial intelligence ecosystem development agreement in 2022, enabling technical cooperation to implement AI across priority economic sectors in the Kingdom. The JICA partnership aligns with Jordan's 2020 national AI policy, which emphasises cost reduction, job creation, and automation across all sectors. This bilateral framework represents Japan's strategic investment in Jordan’s AI capabilities, leveraging Japanese expertise to enhance public services and economic productivity in Jordan's digital transformation agenda. Ask Aqaba is the latest in a series of AI projects being implemented across various government departments by JICA and the Ministry of Digital Economy & Entrepreneurship.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
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