Did you know that less than 0.6% of the world’s digital data is in Arabic?  With so little data, how can we expect AI models trained on global datasets to tell Middle Eastern stories, whether in films, games, or immersive experiences? The result is that tools that can generate content quickly often miss the region’s linguistic, cultural, and ethical nuances.

“In AI, language is more than several words sitting next to each other,” says Professor Mohammed Ghaly of Hamad Bin Khalifa University. “When data is overwhelmingly in another language, the AI is not just incomplete—it’s blind to our heritage, our scholarship, and our values.” 

He points out that much of Arabic historical and religious scholarship, some dating back to the 14th century, remains undigitized. “If these texts aren’t in the datasets, AI models can’t recognize them. You can’t claim an Arabic-first approach with 0.6% representation.”

This “heritage blind spot” is not only a technical challenge but also an ethical one. AI’s statistical methods can create false content or misrepresent traditions if the data lacks depth and authenticity. “Ethics isn’t just about privacy or data protection,” says Ghaly. “It’s about evidence-based knowledge. If the AI can’t access authoritative texts, it can’t be trusted to guide users responsibly.”

PRESERVING CULTURAL CONTINUITY IN CREATIVE AI

Across the Gulf, leaders are addressing this challenge by including cultural and ethical oversight into the creative process. Highlighting the importance of knowledge continuity, HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, who plays an active role in spearheading social and educational reforms in Qatar, says, “We were there at the foundations of knowledge and work, and we are near today, shaping its future. Linguistic diversity is critical in developing technologies relevant across cultures.” 

She views AI not as a means to replicate the West, but as a tool to create stories that connect locally and globally.

For creative teams, using AI is also a human challenge. Rania El Khoury, Global Adoption Practice Lead at TeKnowledge, notices a “two-speed” pattern: setting up the technology is quick, but fully integrating it takes longer. “The fastest adopters realise that Deployment ≠ Adoption,” she says. “AI might generate 100 versions of a scene in seconds, but it cannot choose which one feels right. Human creators are the cultural anchors, making sure heritage, aesthetics, and values are preserved.”

ETHICS AS A CREATIVE ENABLER

Ethics, Ghaly emphasizes, should support creativity, not limit it. “True knowledge is to find solutions for people, to guide responsibly,” he says. This idea shapes both content creation and business strategy: designers and engineers are encouraged to include ethical considerations from the start, so AI-generated stories are trustworthy and reflect the culture.

El Khoury adds El that AI works best when it handles repetitive tasks, allowing people to focus on important and creative decisions. “In our framework, the human is Air Traffic Control,” she says. “AI provides the power, but the human provides the intent and the destination.” Teams that adopt this approach move from simple use to Agentic AI, managing complex tasks while keeping ethical oversight and creative authenticity.

BUILDING AN ETHICAL AI ECOSYSTEM

Qatar’s investment ecosystem supports this vision with strategic programs. Dr. Hamad Rashid Al Naimi, Chief Strategy Officer at Invest Qatar, explains that the Startup Qatar Program helps AI-driven startups while promoting ethical practices. “We guide businesses to align with the Ministry of Communications’ ethical AI guidelines, emphasizing fairness, transparency, human oversight, and cultural alignment,” he says.

High-growth startups receive funding, mentorship, and access to Qatar’s sovereign AI stack, including Fanar, an Arabic-first generative AI model that understands different dialects and cultural details. This helps startups avoid bias from non-native models and create truly local content.

Yet, there are gaps. Many important Arabic texts needed for accurate AI storytelling are only available in print or as low-quality scans. “Without curating these sources first, investments in AI risk producing content that is impressive but culturally hollow,” Ghaly says. The strategy, he suggests, must move from web scraping to curated, evidence-based digitization, treating AI as a knowledge steward rather than a content factory.

Investing in culturally aligned AI is not only about ethics; it also makes economic sense. Al Naimi points out that fast-growing startups in AI, gaming, and immersive media attract foreign investment and facilitate knowledge sharing. “Startups can access up to $5.5 million in growth-stage funding, mentorship, and infrastructure,” he explains. “But success isn’t measured just by dollars—it’s about building a knowledge-intensive, culturally aligned ecosystem that strengthens local capabilities and delivers long-term socio-economic impact.”

Looking ahead, El Khoury envisions a Middle East in which human intent remains central to AI-driven storytelling. “Transparency is the default, upskilling has closed the gap, and human responsibility is absolute,” she says. “Ethical success won’t be measured by how much AI content we produce, but by how much the human soul of the story is preserved.”