Riyadh: Specialists in language, education, and technology have underlined the need to strengthen Arabic's presence in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies by expanding high-quality Arabic content, developing linguistic resources, and investing in language technologies, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the calls come as countries increasingly invest in national language models and digital sovereignty, while Arabic's presence online remains limited despite being spoken by more than 400 million people and holding deep significance for nearly two billion Muslims as the language of the Holy Quran. Arabic language websites account for no more than 0.6% of global web pages, limiting opportunities for the language in AI applications and natural language processing. This has increased interest in enriching Arabic digital content and developing linguistic resources to ensure the language keeps pace with technological developments.
Dr. Abdullah Al Faifi, Head of the Linguistic Computing Sector at the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (KSGAAL), stated that protecting Arabic in the digital age is no longer confined to preservation or awareness. It is now linked to its ability to maintain an active presence in digital environments and AI technologies. He emphasized the need to produce reliable Arabic content, develop digital linguistic resources, qualify teachers and researchers, and build partnerships among linguists, educators, and AI specialists.
Al Faifi also mentioned that KSGAAL is developing linguistic and knowledge infrastructure for AI applications, preparing digital dictionaries, establishing annotated text and voice corpora for training language models, and developing scientific standards for assessing the performance of AI applications in Arabic.
Beyond its role in communication, Arabic remains a repository of cultural heritage and knowledge exchange among civilizations. As digital transformation accelerates, specialists highlight the challenge of strengthening its presence in digital ecosystems so it can continue to contribute to future knowledge production. Dr. Abdulhamid Madkour, Secretary General of the Arabic Language Academy in Cairo and Secretary General of the Union of Arab Scientific Language Academies, stated that preserving linguistic identity requires empowering Arabic across education, culture, and media while using translation to engage with global scientific knowledge.
Dr. Othman Fikri of Cairo University and Dr. Mohammed Hamed Egila of Fayoum University suggested combining AI with human review to improve content quality, advance linguistic analysis, and help preserve heritage. They also noted Saudi initiatives supporting digital Arabic content. Dr. Asaad Swari, Iraq's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, and grammar expert Dr. Fadhil Al Samarrai advocated for using AI for real-time translation and modernizing teaching methods to help Arabic maintain its international presence and linguistic richness across modern fields of knowledge.
Specialists have identified the primary challenge facing Arabic in the AI era as not the language's capabilities but its digital presence and the quality of data available to train modern language models. Dr. Mohammed Jumeh, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Yemen to UNESCO, estimated Arabic online content at between 1% and 3% of global content, limiting the ability of AI applications to process Arabic effectively despite recent advances.
Dr. Ibrahim Badran, Vice President of the Jordanian Arabic Language Academy and former Minister of Education, emphasized that empowering Arabic should begin in schools and universities before extending to media and digital spaces. He called for greater translation, Arabization, and coordination among Arabic language academies on scientific terminology. Dr. Bassam Hammo of the University of Jordan emphasized the importance of comprehensive Arabic databases covering Classical Arabic, dialects, and scientific terminology to develop more effective AI applications, while maintaining human review in specialized fields.
Moroccan researcher Dr. Majdouline Nahibi highlighted programs offered by several Moroccan universities combining linguistics and AI to prepare specialists in Arabic language technologies. Specialists also cautioned against excessive reliance on automated tools. Dr. Yahya Al Hashemi of the Mauritanian Observatory for the Arabic Language warned that while AI can accelerate knowledge sharing, it could affect young people's creative and writing skills if overused.
Lebanese academic Munir Al Hafi noted that AI tools should support rather than replace human thinking, acknowledging that current models have limitations in understanding cultural nuances and require human oversight. He also called for Arab investment in advanced language platforms in partnership with global technology companies and for linguistic specialists to be involved in software development. Dr. Hassan Qutub, Director of the Lebanese Center for Research and Consulting, similarly warned that automated tools could weaken writing proficiency and called for cooperation among linguists, engineers, and cultural institutions.
Dr. Raja Yassine Bahri, President of the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts (Bet al-Hikma), described the intersection of Arabic and AI as an opportunity to strengthen academic and technological cooperation and develop models capable of processing the complexities of Arabic and its dialects.
Specialists emphasized that the future of Arabic in the AI era depends on strengthening its role as a language that produces digital knowledge and contributes to modern technologies and content creation within the global knowledge economy. Dr. Saleh Belaid, President of the High Council for the Arabic Language in Algeria, stated that digital sovereignty begins with the mother tongue. He emphasized that developing Arabic content requires a unified language policy, investment in education, media, and scientific research, and standardized terminology.
Madkour called for joint regional initiatives to strengthen Arabic across education, media, and digital platforms, while Egila advocated broader Arab cooperation in digitizing heritage, teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, and using AI to expand the language's global presence. With a cultural heritage spanning 15 centuries, a vocabulary estimated at around 12 million words, and more than 400 million speakers, Arabic has significant resources to contribute to global innovation and knowledge production.
Specialists stressed the importance of joint Arab investment in an integrated digital ecosystem encompassing data, algorithms, platforms, and AI applications. They noted that the challenge extends beyond preserving Arabic as a language of heritage to enabling it to produce digital content, contribute to modern technology, and strengthen its place in the global digital economy while maintaining its cultural identity.