Jordan launches the government digital spokesman for artificial intelligence, “Farah”

Amman, Jordan (CNN) - On Thursday, the Jordanian government launched a virtual character powered by artificial intelligence, which it called “Farah,” to be the digital spokesman for the government, and one of the digital government communication tools, with the aim of providing citizens, the public, and those interested in official information.

The promotional video of “Farah” spread across the government’s official digital platforms, in which she speaks to Jordanians from the courtyard of the Prime Minister’s Office, in which she introduces herself as an artificial intelligence developer and digital spokesperson for the government, saying that the initiative is the first of its kind in the region and the world.

Farah speaks in the video in a colloquial tone, saying that the reason and purpose of the government taking this step is to employ digital technology to develop communication tools and deliver information to citizens in a clear, transparent and simple way, explaining that she will communicate with the public in the future via social media platforms and WhatsApp.

Farah, who appeared in the video wearing an official outfit, pointed out that citizens will hear from her about every project linked to the vision of economic modernization in the country, and any government project in the health, education, and infrastructure sectors, in addition to decisions that affect citizens’ daily lives, in addition to conveying and explaining some of the Council of Ministers’ decisions.

She points out that the government wants to deliver information to citizens as quickly as possible, in the simplest way, and most importantly, “transparently, clearly, and simply.”

The official spokesman for the government, Minister of Communications Mohamed Al-Momani, published a tweet on his account on the “X” platform, accompanied by a video, in which he said that the launch of the digital spokesman service “Farah” comes within the framework of the government’s endeavor to employ digital technology and artificial intelligence tools to communicate, explain government decisions and policies, and make information available, explaining that “Farah” will be one of the digital government communication tools that aims to provide citizens and those interested in information.

CNN Arabic learned from sources that the service, in its first phase, will be limited to conveying and explaining information related to the government, while it is scheduled in later stages to develop it to become interactive.

The move sparked comments from citizens and observers on social media platforms, with those wondering about the character's identity and those who considered it a pioneering step in the field of digital technology.