A focus on artificial intelligence research could help the Middle East expand its higher education sector and retain talent as it seeks to differentiate itself from the “Luddite” West, experts say.
As the region looks to move away from oil and develop a knowledge economy, countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are making great strides in AI research.
Christopher Davidson, an expert on Middle East politics and a fellow at the European Center for International Affairs, said AI enjoys political and economic support in the region and benefits from the Gulf’s geographic connections with China and the United States, adding that the Middle East aims to become “the bridge between Western and Asian AI.”
He noted that Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence is a “pioneering” institution in the region and “deserves praise” for establishing a “visionary” AI presence.
Saudi Arabia’s Neom Giga project, envisioned as a sustainable city in the middle of the desert, has been significantly scaled back, but scholars say it and its attached university could still succeed by becoming a hub for AI development.
Davidson said the UAE and Saudi Arabia have growing young populations and many of their traditionally brightest students are studying abroad, so universities are looking to modernize and improve their ranking positions and reputations to “prevent brain drain”.
In contrast, Western educational institutions have a “Luddite” mentality, he said. “The main difference with Western countries is that there’s this kind of dance going on where everyone pretends they’re not interested in AI, or that it’s cheating and shouldn’t be used, whereas in the Gulf, almost everyone is using AI and it’s becoming part of the curriculum,” he said.
As a result, Davidson said he believes the Middle East has the potential to become “the hub of West Asia with the capital to invest and the infrastructure to become a major AI infrastructure hub.”
Mowafa Hawshe, a professor of health informatics at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar, said there was “huge excitement” in the region about AI’s capabilities and that he was hopeful that AI could “further build on the momentum that is happening in the region.”
Hausche, who is also the co-developer of Human-Inspired Knowledge by Machine Agents, which aims to support academic research with AI, said there is a culture of innovation in the region, and explained that after hosting the world’s first AI-powered academic conference created entirely by technology, the region aims to develop the world’s first AI-powered university.
He added that Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy to diversify its economy beyond oil and the war in Gaza are prompting a “decoupling” from the West and a desire for Middle East universities to “become agents of change themselves” without relying on Western institutions for resources and influence.
While he doesn’t believe the Gulf states are yet in a position to match the likes of the United States or China, Hausche believes the Arab region has the potential to match and surpass the research output of Canada and Europe.
He agreed that there is a brain drain in the region, with many researchers and graduates setting up start-up companies in the US and elsewhere, but he believes this will change. “As we move from a rich economy based on oil and resources to a more knowledge-rich economy, I think more people will stay and an ecosystem will be built to support local innovators,” he said.
Annalisa Pavan, an independent researcher and consultant on Saudi Arabia, said the country’s goal is to rank among the top 15 countries in AI, and to achieve that, “universities, both public and private, need to work together. [to] It plays a strategic role in transforming the workforce and R&D departments in particular. ”
But she expressed concern about the growing role of private universities in Saudi Arabia, noting that while overseas campuses, including the University of New Haven, “offer programs that will make Saudi Arabia a global leader in AI,” these universities will be “private and expensive.”
“Are Saudi public universities ready to compete with competitive foreign private universities?” she asked.
juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com
