Latest news with #NicolasSehnaoui
LBCI
11-06-2025
- Business
- LBCI
Artificial Intelligence, real obstacles: Lebanon's struggle to regulate tech
Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Mariella Succar As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life around the world, Lebanon is making a modest attempt to join the conversation. The country recently appointed a state minister for Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence—though without a clear mandate or defined responsibilities. In June 2025, MPs César Abi Khalil and Nicolas Sehnaoui introduced a draft law to establish a 'National Authority for Artificial Intelligence,' a body meant to oversee the use of AI in Lebanon. The authority would be tasked with monitoring companies, setting policies, protecting data privacy, and establishing standards for what is or isn't acceptable use of AI. But the question isn't why Lebanon is acting now. It's how long it will take for anything to move forward. In Lebanon's legislative system, laws can spend months—if not years—circulating between committees. Once introduced, a draft bill must be referred by the parliament speaker to a relevant committee. It may then be handed to a subcommittee for review, where it undergoes revisions, discussions, and recommendations. Meetings get postponed due to lack of quorum. Some MPs don't show up. Other issues take precedence. Eventually, the proposal may be shelved entirely. It's a familiar story. Lebanon has yet to find a lasting solution to its waste crisis after more than a decade. An e-signature law took years to pass and has barely been implemented. So how long will it take to regulate a technology advancing by the day? In reality, Lebanese lawmakers can act quickly when there's enough pressure. The amendment to the banking secrecy law, for example, was passed in less than a week under demands from the International Monetary Fund.
National News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- National News
Parliament begins discussing draft law related to Beirut Municipality
NNA – The Lebanese Parliament approved the draft law aiming to amend the provisions of Articles 1, 2 and 12 of the Labor Law dated September 23, 1946 (flexible work). Parliament began discussing the urgent draft law, which aims to amend some municipal provisions and texts related to the Beirut Municipality, submitted by MPs Ghassan Hasbani, Nicolas Sehnaoui, Nadim Gemayel, Fouad Makhzoumi, Faisal Sayegh, and Hagop Terzian.
