Advancing Arabic in AI, Tech & LLMs | Nizar Habash and Salma Alkhoudi
We organized a full-day symposium (October 26, 2024) with the mm:museum as part of their exhibition "The limits of my language are the limits of my world" at Northwestern Qatar this year. Three panel discussions took place which we are bringing you in three episodes on their podcast. This is the second of the three where our experts delve into the nuances of Arabic Natural Language Processing (NLP) and its intersection with artificial intelligence (AI). Moderator Dr Wajdi Zaghwani who is an associate professor at Northwestern University Qatar, speaks with Salma Elkhaoudi – a PhD candidate at Stanford University focusing on the social impact of Arabic large language models – and Professor Nizar Habash – a leading expert in Arabic NLP at NYU Abu Dhabi. Topics covered include the challenges of developing Arabic AI models, the importance of preserving dialect diversity, and how AI influences cultural identity and language in digital spaces. The panel also touches on the ethical considerations of AI use, the role of academia and industry in advancing Arabic tech, and the importance of digital literacy in understanding AI's capabilities and limits.
Nizar Habash is a Professor of Computer Science at NYU Abu Dhabi and director of the CAMeL Lab, specializing in natural language processing and computational linguistics. His research focuses on machine translation, morphological analysis, and Arabic dialects. Author of Introduction to Arabic Natural Language Processing, and over 250 publications, he is a recipient of the King Salman Academy for Arabic Language Award (2022) and the Antonio Zampolli Prize (2024).
Connect with 👉 Nizar Habash
Salma Elkhaoudi is a PhD candidate in the anthropology of science at Stanford University, with a focus on the development of Arabic-trained AI and its sociocultural implications in the Arab Gulf. Her research explores how ideas about the Arab past and future are being brought into relation with each other through AI. She has spent several years working as a technology and AI researcher in the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Read more about mm:museum's 2024 exhibition 👉 "The limits of my language are the limits of my world"
Connect with 👉 the mm:museum at Northwestern University Qatar
Hosted by 👉 Wajdi Zaghouani
Wajdi Zaghouani is an associate professor at Northwestern University in Qatar, specializing in AI and computational linguistics with a focus on Arabic data analytics, social media analysis, fake news detection, and hate speech. He has secured over $6 million in research funding, primarily through competitive grants from the Qatar National Research Fund, including for projects like the MARSAD Social Media Observatory and Hate Speech Detection. With over 100 peer-reviewed publications, Zaghouani also serves as an associate editor for journals like Journal of Natural Language Engineering and Frontiers in AI.
Media Majlis Museum Podcast
Welcome to the Media Majlis Museum Podcast powered by afikra, a series where we explore the intersection of language, culture, and identity, inspired by the exhibition "The Limits of My Language Are the Limits of My World" at the Media Majlis Museum at Northwestern University in Qatar.
