Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation today opened the Arab seminar “Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Research and Literary Creativity,” organized in partnership with the Arab Prizes Forum and bringing together prominent scientists, researchers, academics, and experts in technology, literature, and the arts from Jordan and across the Arab world.
Held over two days, the seminar comes as artificial intelligence continues to reshape the way knowledge is produced, shared, and applied. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in education, scientific research, and creative practice, it is prompting renewed debate about the nature of authorship, originality, intellectual property, and the evolving relationship between humans and technology.
Speaking at the opening session, Arab Prizes Forum Chairman Abdulaziz Al-Sabeel said the topic emerged as a key area of discussion during the Forum’s most recent Executive Council meeting, highlighting the need for serious academic dialogue around AI and its implications for Arab scientific and literary awards.
Al-Sabeel praised Valentina Kassisieh, CEO of Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, for supporting the initiative and partnering with the Forum to organize a series of seminars dedicated to exploring the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence.
He noted that the rapid integration of AI into research and creative work has prompted awards institutions to revisit their criteria and evaluation processes, as submitted works may now include significant AI-assisted contributions.
"Understanding where human creativity ends and artificial intelligence begins is becoming increasingly important," Al-Sabeel said. "We must also address questions surrounding intellectual property, authorship, and eligibility for recognition. These are issues that directly affect how scientific and literary awards assess and honor achievement."
He added that the complexity of these questions has made the work of awards institutions more challenging than ever. Through collective dialogue and cooperation, the Arab Prizes Forum hopes to help establish broad principles that can guide awards programs in setting criteria, evaluating submissions, and making informed decisions.
For her part, Kassisieh stressed that the conversation is no longer about whether artificial intelligence should be accepted or rejected.
"The pace of technological development has moved beyond that question," she said. "What matters now is how we engage with AI responsibly, harnessing its enormous potential while preserving the principles that form the foundation of scientific integrity and human creativity.
Kassisieh highlighted AI’s growing role in supporting researchers through information discovery, data analysis, and literature review, while also assisting writers with idea generation, editing, and language refinement. These capabilities, she said, can expand opportunities for innovation and creativity while saving considerable time and effort.
At the same time, she pointed to a range of challenges associated with AI, including data quality and bias, questions of originality and plagiarism, the reliability of AI-generated information, the erosion of certain research skills, and concerns surrounding privacy, transparency, accountability, and intellectual property rights.
In the literary sphere, Kassisieh noted that AI raises fundamental questions about authorship and creative ownership when machines contribute to the production of texts.
"When a machine becomes part of the writing process, questions emerge about the role of the author, the boundaries between assistance and creation, and whether technology can truly replicate human experience, imagination, and memory," she said.
She explained that the seminar seeks to examine these issues from technical, ethical, legal, and creative perspectives. Discussions focus on the impact of AI on scientific research and academic integrity, challenges in verifying the originality of research outputs, intellectual property and data privacy concerns, and the implications of AI for literary creativity, cultural diversity, and human imagination.
Participants are also exploring the implications of AI for scientific and literary awards, including how judging committees can assess the authenticity of submissions, what levels of AI use may be acceptable, and when disclosure of AI assistance should be required.
Concluding her remarks, Kassisieh emphasized that the challenge is not technological advancement itself, but humanity’s ability to shape a responsible relationship with it.
"Artificial intelligence will continue to evolve and become more capable," she said. "Our responsibility is to ensure that it remains a tool that expands human knowledge and creativity, rather than diminishing human agency and accountability."
The seminar’s first day featured three sessions: “Artificial Intelligence: The Knowledge Revolution and Its Challenges,” chaired by Dr. Magdi Mamdouh; “The Ethics of Algorithms: Between Bias and Transparency,” chaired by Dr. Yousef Rababa’a; and “The Future of Scientific Publishing: Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity,” chaired by Dr. Musleh Al-Najjar.
The second day will include sessions on intellectual property and literary creativity in the age of AI, artificial intelligence and the arts, and future regulatory frameworks for governing AI technologies.
Hosted by the King Faisal Prize, the Arab Prizes Forum brings together 35 scientific, literary, and cultural awards sponsored by government entities, private institutions, and civil society organizations, including the awards of Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation. Through collaboration among its members, the Forum seeks to strengthen recognition of scientific and literary achievement, foster innovation, and support the advancement of science, culture, and knowledge across the Arab world and beyond.