Today's Edition
TALAH TURK (DUBAI)
Resonating across every conversation and dominating the stage at this year's Arab Media Summit, artificial intelligence (AI) has trickled into every aspect of lives with no signs of slowing down.
In a session titled “New Technology Trends in the Field of Media”, UAE’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence, Omar Al Olama, provided a refreshingly optimistic view on the positive impact that AI could have on our professional lives.
While many people are stressing over the possibility of losing their jobs to AI, Olama said it’s not something one should worry about unless they are not open to change. “Those who do not adapt to these developments and do not make use of these platforms will lose their jobs. However, those who deal with these changes with a positive attitude will be met with many great opportunities.”
Commenting on the “One Million Prompters” initiative, launched by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), Olama described it as a smart move.
“While some people might say that it’s not hard to learn how to write prompts. What makes this initiative clever, is that today, those who move faster and use the technology more are the ones who will benefit the most.”
Through this initiative, which will upskill one million people in prompt engineering over the next three years, the UAE will have an abundance of people who are “ten to a hundred times more productive than others.”
“However, if you treat AI as the enemy, stay away from it, and don’t learn how to use it, the train will leave the station and you will be left behind. So, this is an opportunity,” he explained.
Opinions from the Field
Content creator and journalist Ruba Nesly stressed the need for caution while using AI. “I would never fully depend on AI, especially when it comes to research, but it has a lot of potential when it comes to visuals,” she said.
In her opinion, AI is most useful when it comes to graphic design as well as photo and video editing. “As journalists, we sometimes struggle with a shortage of suitable footage to go with our articles or videos, which AI can help with.”
News reporter, Ali Al Shouk, said “As a news reporter, I believe applications like Chat GPT are great for getting ideas, but journalists should always write articles on their own.”
He predicts that AI will have a bigger effect on social media and content creation, than on traditional journalism.
“I do believe that people working in media should always have an open mind and adopt new technologies to keep up with the developments,” Al Shouk said.
Podcaster Abdulla Al Nuaimi believes that AI has had a “100% positive impact” on his career. “Like the minister said earlier, it’s about how you look at it. I also agree with him that jobs will not be taken over by AI, but they will be taken over by those who learn how to use it.”
“As a podcaster, I make use of AI. For example, sometimes if I don’t have time to write a new episode, I ask Chat GPT to help me and honestly it has been extremely useful. Of course, you have to build on what the application provides you with.”
“It’s all about your perspective. So, are you going to learn, grow, and become the best? Or give up, cry about it, lose your job, and get replaced by AI? It’s your choice.”
