AI activations at Arab Media Forum showcase technology in a new avatar

AI activations at Arab Media Forum showcase technology in a new avatar

Participants engage with literary and media luminaries of the Arab world in avatar form while appreciating the technology infusing life into their digital iterations

Shaima Al Suwaidi: Our AI Hub offered visitors a unique opportunity to engage with technology in a truly immersive and interactive way

Activations at the hub featured innovative demonstrations of AI-powered art, photography and visualisation

The Arab Media Forum (AMF) has been instrumental in shining light on new trends and technologies, inspiring new benchmarks, and demystifying groundbreaking innovations and ideas.

In true AMF tradition, its 22nd edition featured a dedicated AI hub named AI Garden set up by Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO), spotlighting the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence in media. Digital avatars of renowned literary and media figures from the Arab world were among the attractions, engaging visitors with conversations inspired by their enduring legacies.

Shaima Al Suwaidi, Director of Brand Dubai, said: “At AMF 2024, Brand Dubai was excited to showcase the incredible potential of AI in media. Our AI Hub brought to life the legacies of renowned Arab literary and media figures, offering visitors a unique opportunity to engage with technology in a truly immersive and interactive way. The activations at the hub featured innovative demonstrations of AI-powered art, photography and visualisation.”

Organised by the Dubai Press Club under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Arab Media Forum (AMF) continues to drive transformative change. This year, the AMF was held under the umbrella of the Arab Media Summit, which also encompassed the Arab Youth Media Forum, the Arab Media Award, and the Arab Social Media Influencers Award.

Each year, the AMF highlights emerging industry trends and opens new pathways for integrating disruptive technologies into the regional media landscape. By fostering synergies and promoting novel concepts and innovations, the forum ensures that the media industry remains at the forefront of progress.

Participants at the AMF this year were encouraged to get an immersive feel of technologies through five activations that brought them face to face with the rapid evolution of AI and its growing impact on all aspects of our lives.

Timeless conversations

This interactive installation transported visitors into a world where renowned Arab literary and media figures came alive through advanced AI, answering queries with a disarming charm. Using a conversational style, this installation helped visitors appreciate the inspiring legacies of these famous personalities.

The installation featured three eminent Arab literary figures – namely Ghassan Tueni, the renowned Lebanese journalist and political figure, Habib Al Sayegh, the celebrated Emirati poet and writer, and Hani Naqshbandi, the influential Saudi media personality and author – who greeted visitors via their digital avatars, offering a dynamic and interactive reimagination of their contributions.

Guests engaged with the avatars through three dedicated screens, each equipped with an iPad interface. Visitors posed questions, and the avatars responded, creating a truly personalised interaction. All responses were generated using custom-trained AI models, meticulously designed for each character based on extensive literature, information, and recorded interactions they left behind.

A reflection of your future

Introducing a revolutionary AI-powered photostudio, another AI installation took the processes behind studio photography to the next level. Users controlled the camera themselves using a remote control, ensuring maximum comfort and privacy. Advanced AI technology instantly processed, edited, and retouched photos, delivering studio quality images.

AI Sketch

Churning out visual art with effortless ease, another activation prompted visitors to draw a sketch of whatever they imagined. After completing the sketch, users were asked to enter some prompts describing how they envisioned the final result. They also had the option to choose the style of the final result: Brush Strokes, Painting, or Abstract Art.

In only 10 seconds, the installation produced an AI-generated result and, once users were satisfied and pressed the send button, a copy was sent to their email with a custom message in the email body. Another copy was displayed on the LED screen provided.

Echoes

The forum also featured an installation that celebrated words of inspiration of great Arabic journalists who are no longer among us. This media installation used floral floor and wall projections. The walls additionally displayed names of renowned media professionals.

Visitors stepping into the display area were greeted by their own silhouette projected onto the wall with a quote visible within the silhouette. More and more of the quote was revealed with every movement of the visitor. When the quote was fully unveiled, a celebratory floral animation made the experience even more rewarding for the user. Likewise, animated floral projections on the floor also engaged visitors, displaying names of famous media figures on the wall as they placed each step.

Waves of the Future

This installation featured an AI-enabled acoustic experience. In this audio-reactive, AI-enabled visualisation, flowers bloomed in sync with the piano player’s live performance. Using Stream Diffusion AI technology, an overhead equaliser was visually depicted as flowers in real time. The real-time translation of audio into visuals is an unparalleled capability of AI that will affect the media industry on large scale – be it as real-time translation, face swaps, deep fakes or other uses. The resulting visuals were streamed in real-time on LED screens in the activation area.

There was no dearth of real interactions either at AMF 2024 as it brought together more than 4,000 participants including thought leaders, media personalities, editors in chief, influencers, scholars, writers, industry experts, and content creators from around the world to share their perspectives on the region’s evolving media landscape.