DUBAI(RAHNUMA): Artificial intelligence is not a superpower, said Mikey Muhanna, founder and executive director of the media and education program Afikra, at the Dubai Future Summit on Tuesday.
Muhanna said AI was taking away critical skills that humans used to rely on for productivity and innovation.
He said: “AI is not allowing us to get stuff wrong, activate our brain and curiosity. We are celebrating the fact that all of this fundamental work that we used to do but now we gave up on.
“We are letting AI do the small stupid stuff, so when it comes to the big stuff, we don’t have the skills to actually deliver because we stopped training these muscles.”
Afikra is a global cultural initiative dedicated to exploring, documenting, and celebrating Arab history, knowledge, and creativity.
A session named “Beyond the Algorithm: What Future for Arabic and Cultural Narratives in AI?” saw Muhanna, along with Emirati inventor Fatima Alkaabi and NaTakallam educator Yara Hassan, discuss ways in which AI can destroy heritage and identity.
NaTakallam is a social enterprise that connects displaced people with learners around the world through language and cultural exchange sessions.
“When using AI to translate, often memories, identity, and history are erased, especially when using Arabic idioms which can be lost,” said Hassan.
The educator explained that Arabic cannot fit into English-based AI systems and that the human touch was still very important to maintain integrity.
“AI should be learning from Arabic, not the other way around. We have to make the system representative of this culture,” she said.
Muhanna described data on existing AI software as “garbage” and said the more “trash” we feed it, the more dangerous it can get.
“There is a lot of garbage about the Arab world and information that is subjectively wrong — intentionally based on racist ideas and some things that are subconscious. AI is trained on these data points,” he explained.
Muhanna said Afikra was working on deconstructing the idea of Arab narratives and celebrating the complexity of Arab heritage.
He added: “AI’s function is to give you the info very quickly. It only gives you one answer that is binary and structured. It can be very dangerous as it erases the possibility of multilayered identity, especially in the Arab world.”
Alkaabi said she recently launched a new AI platform which aimed to produce culturally rooted AI products.
“AI can be used as a tool to bridge the gap between generations and preserve history and culture and celebrate it,” she explained.
Alkaabi said that often AI platforms did not understand the complexity of Arab heritage and culture, and by creating her own software she hoped to generate a platform that could capture the true essence of Emirati culture through AI-generated products.
The session took place in the Museum of the Future as part of the Dubai Future Summit and was moderated by Noor Nugali, deputy editor-in-chief at Arab News.
