Knowledge Lounge explores relationship between reading and 5th Industrial Revolution as part of Knowledge Summit 2023

The Knowledge Lounge, an initiative by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), held various sessions during the Knowledge Summit 2023. The summit, organized by MBRF and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the theme ‘Knowledge Cities and the Fifth Industrial Revolution,’ witnessed the sessions highlighting various themes linked to reading and leadership in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and smart cities. The summit convened thought leaders, experts, researchers, and academics, offering a dynamic platform to share valuable insights and ideas and exhibiting best practices to find solutions to mitigate pressing global challenges.

The Knowledge Lounge organized a session titled ‘Reading and the Fifth Industrial Revolution: Tools and Solutions,’ with the participation of Dr. Zainab Al-Qaisi, Executive Director of ‘Al Naqsh’ platform, who is also a translator and editor. During the session, Dr. Al-Qaisi highlighted the necessity of empowering teachers to make the reading experience more personalized and attractive by understanding the unique preferences of children. Furthermore, the session discussed different ways to elevate the reading capabilities of children and the possibility of leveraging technologies such as AI to make a qualitative leap in teaching and convert reading into a fun daily activity for children.

Furthermore, under the umbrella of Knowledge Lounge, the summit hosted Dr. Khaled Ghattas in a session moderated by Rola Al Banna. The session shed light on the significance of launching and deploying projects like Knowledge Lounge in the UAE and Al-Warsha in Lebanon that focus on young people and developing their skills. During the session, Dr. Ghattas introduced a copy of his book titled ‘This is Not What I Wrote’ to MBRF officials and explained the key objective of the book, which is to ‘give a voice to the voiceless.’ He also stated that the book comprises a unique collection of philosophical short stories in a distinctive and simplified writing style that sheds light on social and personal dilemmas confronted by modern humans from a new perspective. Dr. Ghattas stressed that through this book he does not seek to offer solutions to these issues; instead, he seeks to stimulate readers’ thinking directly and indirectly in order to understand and face them.

H.E. Jamal bin Huwaireb, CEO of the MBRF, said: “The current fast-paced technological changes indicate the necessity to equip the world with knowledge to face emerging challenges and prepare for the future. In light of this, we, at the MBRF, are keen on launching various initiatives such as the Knowledge Summit and the Knowledge Lounge. The summit offers a dynamic platform that convenes thought leaders, policymakers, decision-makers, experts, researchers, academics, and entrepreneurs to share key insights, ideas, and best practices to find solutions for global challenges. The Knowledge Lounge, on the other hand, serves as a key forum for dialogue and ideas to boost knowledge and encourage innovative thinking. We seek to launch more innovative initiatives that help ensure a better future.”

During a session titled ‘Leadership in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,’ speakers discussed the extraordinary pace of technological advancements and innovations driven by the technological revolution and AI across various institutions, along with the key skills that leaders need in the age of AI. The session shed light on the concerns revolving around the impact of AI, robots, big data, the internet, the metaverse, and pre-trained generative model platforms, including ChatGPT, on humans and their potential to replace human intelligence by 2040. The session underscored the necessity to adopt new approaches and develop skills focusing on humankind to keep up with AI and leverage it to find solutions to real problems, improve customer experiences, and deliver services more efficiently.

Finally, the Knowledge Lounge organized a special dialogue session with Dr. Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director of Orient Planet Group, under the theme ‘Smart Cities in the Arab World and their Economic and Social Impacts.’ During the session, Dr. Abou Zaki explained about his newly launched book with the same title, in which he highlighted the close relationship between technology, society, the economy, and the environment. In addition, he shed light on the challenges faced by most Arab countries in transitioning to smart cities and the efforts they made to establish a flexible technological infrastructure that aided in aligning with rapid developments according to best practices and international standards. The session also reviewed the journey of the UAE in building smart cities and the economic and social benefits it brought in, such as job creation and innovation.