The distinguished panel at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival underscored the power of the human mind in communication and creation, and felt that AI can only play an assistive role
Sharjah, April 24, 2025
Eminent writers and thinkers from the Arabian region analysed the power of the written word that flows unfiltered from creative minds and the role of Artificial Intelligence in shaping the future of writing at a cultural dialogue session titled “Artificial Intelligence and the Rise of New Writers?” on the opening day of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2025 (SCRF).
Prof Sumaya Al Madeed, a professor of Computer Science and researcher from Qatar University, noted that “AI lacks feelings and experiences that humans have” but it can be used in a conscious and responsible way to be an assistant tool. She pointed out that in her university, students have to disclose if they use AI for completing assignments. She narrated a particular occasion when she gave AI her child’s picture and asked it to create a suitable poem for a birthday but how it could not create an authentic one that comes from the heart. She however felt AI had its uses in functioning as a private tutor for a student or to help train autistic children in a positive way.
Asma Zainal, who works with the Dubai government and has been a recipient of the Futuristic Entrepreneur Award, said that AI can be used in a random way and secondly in a conscious way to give different results. “I take AI as a reference for my brainstorming sessions. In the second scenario, I use it to develop my own novel or research work but always keep in mind that creativity flows from the human mind,” she said, adding that AI cannot deliver feelings.
Emirati author Talib Ghuloom underscored that genuine literature is based on one’s knowledge while AI literature is a matter of coordination. “Don’t expect AI to give feelings or the spirit of life. AI should be integrated with human intelligence or there will be a conflict. If something is a hybrid product, you need to confess,” he suggested. Morality and ethics will figure in an original human creation, but one can also make the best use of AI if you have a story and the creative spirit, said Ghuloom.
The session was moderated by Aisha al Maazmi, news presenter at Pulse 95.
SCRF 2024 which got under way at Expo Center Sharjah on April 23 will run until May 4. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), this year’s agenda has the theme “Dive into Books” and will feature 133 guests from 70 countries, and 122 Arab and international publishing houses from 22 nations. SCRF 2025 invites families to “Dive into Books”, and discover a world where stories leap off the page into every corner of life.
For more information on this free-to-attend event, visit www.scrf.ae
-ENDS-
Attached images:
- During the session titled “Artificial Intelligence and the Rise of New Writers”
2) Prof Sumaya Al Madeed
3) Emirati author Talib Ghuloom
4) Asma Zainal