Artificial Intelligence has entered Lebanon through several domains from educating youth and preparing them for new jobs to helping businesses operate more efficiently. Yet it also holds the potential to tackle one problem that has long diminished the quality of life for Beirut residents: traffic congestion.

Beirut’s roads, in many ways, reflect designs from decades ago built without anticipating the sheer volume of cars now crowding the streets. Drive through narrow neighbourhoods like Achrafieh or Hamra and it quickly becomes clear how easily vehicles fall into bottleneck traps, especially during rush hour. The combination of tight streets, uncoordinated traffic lights, and high vehicle density creates not only frustration but danger.

A possible solution may come from an unexpected source: a program developed by tech giant Google called Project Green Light. Created by Google Research, it uses AI to make city traffic lights smarter and more efficient. By analysing real-world traffic patterns such as where cars idle too long or stop unnecessarily the system provides city engineers with recommendations to better coordinate light signals.

The result is smoother traffic flow, fewer abrupt stops, and less time wasted in congestion. In pilot cities like Abu Dhabi and Bangalore, Project Green Light has cut intersection delays by up to 30 percent and reduced vehicle emissions by as much as 10 percent. For drivers, that translates to shorter commutes, lower fuel costs, and cleaner air all without requiring new infrastructure.

The stakes in Lebanon could not be higher. Between January and August 2025, the Internal Security Forces recorded 191 road accidents, resulting in 44 deaths and 236 injuries. When including cases tracked by the YASA road-safety association, fatalities rise to 53. In July alone, 43 lives were lost and 284 people were injured.

The Lebanese Red Cross has transported more than 7,400 injured people from traffic accidents so far this year nearly matching the total for 2024 within just seven months. These figures expose the human cost of dysfunctional infrastructure and lax enforcement. Poorly managed intersections are not simply an inconvenience; they are a danger to life itself.

Traffic congestion is not unique to Beirut it is a consequence of rapid urban growth worldwide. As cities expanded and purchasing power rose, car ownership surged, often outpacing road capacity. Lebanon’s challenge is compounded by decades of political gridlock and underinvestment in infrastructure, making traditional solutions like road widening or new highways nearly impossible.

AI-driven systems like Project Green Light offer a practical alternative. By optimizing signal timing, AI can respond to real-time conditions reducing stop-and-go traffic, lowering accident risks, and cutting emissions. In a city where broken or outdated traffic lights frequently create chaos, a system that learns and adapts as traffic changes could genuinely save lives.

To better understand the feasibility of applying such systems locally, The Beiruter spoke with Mr. Roland Abi Najem, a cybersecurity and digital-transformation expert who has advised public and private institutions across the Middle East.

“Theoretically, yes, if we start small,” Abi Najem told The Beiruter. “We don’t need to rebuild Beirut’s roads. Tools like Google’s Project Green Light help cities tune existing traffic lights using data from phones and maps. But practically knowing the political, economic, and corruption issues we face it’s impossible for now, because it isn’t a priority.”

He stressed that Lebanon currently lacks the fundamental elements required to implement such technologies.

We don’t have the basics electricity, internet, connectivity, budget, data, cybersecurity, or technical expertise,” he said. “Before you run, you have to walk.

When asked what Lebanon would need to make AI adoption in public infrastructure viable, Abi Najem outlined a clear roadmap: “First, you need political will which is not currently present. Second, you need change management for people to accept change. Third, you need public awareness. Then we need rules, regulations, and a governance entity to oversee everything. Technology is actually the easiest part.”

His remarks underline a key truth: Lebanon’s problem isn’t technological it’s institutional. The tools exist, but without governance, transparency, and public trust, no amount of AI can untangle the gridlock.

However, Project Green Light should be viewed as just one part of a broader conversation about mobility and urban planning. Each new car on the road worsens congestion. To create lasting change, Lebanon must also invest in alternative transportation options: public bikes, electric trams in city centers, and a high-speed railway connecting Beirut to Tripoli and other major hubs.

Imagine a future where taking a train is faster, cheaper, and safer than driving leaving cars at home and freeing streets from gridlock.

There is no place on earth where I feel more at home than Beirut. The city’s ability to make one feel alive, even in its most catastrophic moments, is a mystery one may never solve. But the daily struggle of driving through its streets need not remain part of that mystery. With the right blend of AI innovation, public investment, and urban foresight, Beirut and Lebanon more broadly could reclaim its roads as spaces of connection rather than conflict.

Driving, after all, should be part of life not a battle for survival.