Israel calls New York Times report on Iran nuclear talks ‘fake news’

DUBAI: When it comes to ambition to cultivate artificial intelligence in the Arab world, the sky is the only limit, the head of Dubai Future Foundation said on Monday night.

“I think there’s an abundance of talent around the Arab world. It’s just a matter of enabling the talent and creating the right ecosystem for talent to thrive,” said Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the DFF.

On the sidelines of the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, a high-profile Arab News-Google event brought together executives, editors, policymakers and more to discuss the future of media in the region.

“The digital economy requires specific skill sets. And I think we’re seeing so many success stories that are happening, whether it’s on the entrepreneurial side or whether it’s on the coding front.

“The sky’s the limit on where the Arab world can reach. The numbers are rising on the digital economy point of view and we are very optimistic.”

Belhoul outlined several key predictions for media over the next year, from the shift in how people consume media, to its duration.

During the event, which was part of a series of celebrations for the newspaper’s 50th anniversary, Arab News unveiled a new podcast series exploring five decades of pivotal events that have shaped the Middle East.

The project, powered by Google’s AI research tool NotebookLM, features artificial hosts and AI-generated voices, show how emerging technologies can enhance storytelling, research, and historical reflection in journalism.

Each episode highlights a different decade, tracing key moments from 1975 to the present day.

DUBAI: British journalist Piers Morgan urged the Israeli government at the Arab Media Summit on Wednesday to let international journalists into Gaza. 

“It is ridiculous that Israel has the ability to prevent international journalists from reporting that the information and facts that the Israeli government is providing (are) not accurate,” he said.

Morgan said that getting the facts regarding what is happening in Gaza is very difficult for journalists because Israel refuses entry to these media entities. 

“Let the journalists in, and then we can work out if what Israel is saying is right. The fact (that) they are not letting them in is very telling,” he added. 

Morgan interviewed Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef in October 2023 when Israel launched its military attack on Gaza. 

“Youssef took me on a whole history lesson on the conflict of 75 years. I have been criticized by the Arab world for being pro-Israel. But I have always had more Palestinian supportive guests than any other show in the world, and I did that deliberately,” he added.

His interview with Youssef went viral, accumulating over 23 million views. 

Morgan said that his initial understanding and views on the history of Palestine changed after his interview with Youssef.  

“My original view was that Israel had the fundamental right and duty to defend itself following the Oct. 7 attack. But my question from the start was always, ‘What is a proportionate response?’ To me, what has been happening in recent months, especially since the blockade and the bombardments, has crossed a line,” he said.

“My position has evolved and moved, but I’m not overly defensive of the initial position I took at the start. I always try to be firm and fair and offer both sides a platform to try and get a solution,” he added.

“It’s not my job to take sides in any of these stories. My job is to be a journalist and to hold everyone accountable and try to get to the truth and establish facts,” he said.