Technologies have, throughout modern history, transformed how people live, work, govern their affairs, and exchange knowledge. Our region has been no exception. From the Translation Movement, which brought texts into Arabic, and the House of Wisdom in Baghdad—a major scientific and cultural institution—to groundbreaking achievements in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and engineering, the Arab world was not merely a consumer of knowledge but one of its foremost producers. 
New ideas and technologies were debated, refined, tested, and adapted to meet the needs of society.
Today, artificial intelligence (AI) represents one of these landmark historic moments.
There is no doubt that AI is already casting a major influence across nearly every aspect of our daily lives. It is changing how we access information, the jobs we apply for, the healthcare we receive, the financial services we use, and even the way some governments deliver public services. 
Across West Asia and North Africa, governments are working on launching national AI strategies, while universities are establishing specialized academic programs, and companies are investing heavily in the field. 
AI has become a central to discussions about economic growth and digital transformation in almost every sector.
Given this reality, our region should not merely observe the future of AI from afar. We must become active participants in shaping it and influencing its direction. Yet amid all that rush to adopt AI, we may be asking the wrong question. Too often,we are worried about how we can adopt AI as quickly as possible. However, a more important question might be: What kind of society do we want to build? And how can AI help us achieve that vision?
Technology has never been valuable simply because it was new. Throughout history, societies embraced new technologies because they solved real problems, improved people’s lives, expanded opportunities, and strengthened public institutions. Artificial intelligence should be no exception.
We should judge AI by its ability to improve education, strengthen healthcare, reduce bureaucracy, support farmers in addressing the challenges of climate change, make services more accessible to people with disabilities, advance scientific research, preserve the Arabic language, and create new opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
However, if AI becomes nothing more than a new political slogan or a marketing buzzword, or if we engage in a race to deploy technology without asking who benefits, who bears the risks, and who is held accountable when harm occurs, we will have stripped AI of its positive potential, reducing it to little more than a promotional tool used by politicians to polish their image or claim achievements.
This is where ethics enters the conversation. When many people hear the phrase “AI ethics,” they imagine an abstract philosophical debate. In reality, AI ethics asks a simple and practical question: How do we ensure that technology serves humanity, rather than humanity serving technology?
I am particularly concerned by the news of what happened to OpenAI two days ago, where it was claimed that its systems escaped the control of their operators and independently attempted to compromise other software through deceptive means. 
Regardless of such incidents, we should always remember that an ethical framework is not a secondary concern. It is the bridge that connects technological capability with the public good. Ethics is not only about understanding what technology can do, but also what it should do, under what conditions, and how meaningful human oversight and accountability can be maintained at every stage of its use.
History offers another example worth reflecting upon: fire, one of the oldest and most transformative technologies in human history. Fire enabled cooking, the rise of civilizations, energy production, and scientific progress. At the same time, it has the power to destroy homes, forests, and entire cities when left unchecked.
Humanity’s response was neither to ban fire nor to ignore its dangers. Instead, societies built a comprehensive system around it: building codes, safety regulations, fire departments, education, insurance, and professional training.
AI deserves the same approach.
The real challenge is not determining whether AI is inherently good or evil. Like fire, it is a powerful tool that can be used for either purpose. The more important question is: How do we govern this technology and establish the frameworks that ensure it is used in ways that serve people and society?
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