This year's Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), which concluded on May 5, put a new emphasis on technology and digital content, showcasing innovations at the Digitizing Creativity Conference and a newly established Digital Square. Among those participating in the Digital Square were Arabookverse, a growing Egyptian and pan-Arabic audiobook publisher; Greek consultancies Thinking and eAnagnostis; as well as Beirut-based Arab Scientific Publishers and Neel wa Furat, a leading Arabic e-commerce platform often compared to Amazon.

Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) at the Department of Culture and Tourism, said during a press briefing that utilizing technology is vital for overcoming publishing challenges in the region.

"Even though there are monumental obstacles that we face, by utilizing digitalization and other progressive means, we can overcome any challenges," Dr. Bin Tamim said. The ALC, which supervised the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, was "looking forward to utilizing AI and other technological advancements to best serve this event," Tamim added.

The focus on technology comes at a significant moment for the UAE, which on May 4 announced a landmark initiative to incorporate artificial intelligence education into its national curriculum, beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year and affecting as many as 400,000 students.

"Our goal is to teach our children a deep understanding of AI from a technical perspective, while also fostering their awareness of the ethics of this new technology," Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VP and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai stated in announcing the new curriculum.

While embracing technological innovation, Bin Tamim emphasized the importance of intellectual property protection, particularly as AI becomes more prevalent. "We are worried about IP rights, especially since this is the beat and bulk of our work," he said. The digitalization conference at the fair aimed to "shed a lot of light on AI and its role in protecting IP."

The ALC chairman also noted that studies have demonstrated AI's ability to create content that even students at universities preferred over human-written work, raising questions about the implications for literature and publishing: "If we have 4,000 works of Arabic knowledge translated, and it's at the disposal of AI, what would happen? What are the implications of feeding it with all of that influx?"

Innovation in practice

The ALC is also prioritizing developing technology to promote and accelerate Arabic language learning. "Studies show that those who utilize the latest advancements in technology while learning a language, it shortens the journey for them," Bin Tamim said, noting that research indicates AI can reduce language learning time from a year to just three months in some cases.

During the ADIBF, several digital publishing initiatives showcased how technology, and AI in particular, is being implemented in the region. Salah Chebaro, CEO of Neel wa Furat, offered demonstrations of the company's new AI-powered chatbot—NWF Chatbot—and enhanced book discovery on their platform.

"It's making the way we work change," Chebaro told PW. "The vision for AI and books is very interesting. There is significant synergy because it's a text-based product."

Chebaro noted that while AI tools like Falcon, a large language model focused on Arabic and developed in the UAE, were "working very well," human oversight remained essential. Chebaro's family also runs Arab Scientific Publishers, one of the most prominent publishing houses in the Middle East. "AI is scaring translators, but it's a very useful tool for us," he said, acknowledging that even with excellent machine translation, "you still have to edit it."

The fair also featured discussions about how technology is changing the way people interact with texts. Michalis Kalamaris, head of marketing and content for Thinking.gr and founder of eAnagnostis.gr, was among those participating in the ADIBF's Digital Square. There, he showcased how technology is helping publishers rethink the reading experience, such as enhancing how indexes work in digital books to enhance discoverability.

Kalamaris, who is also programming director of the Limassol Book Fair in Cyprus, is collaborating with the nonprofit European Digital Reading Lab as it works on the deployment of an open, interoperable, and accessible digital publishing ecosystem worldwide. "EDRLab currently has membership from across much of Europe and, increasingly, we're reaching out to other organizations across the world," Kalamaris said. "One aim is to find more affiliates in the Middle East and elsewhere, particularly as they are earlier in their journey to develop standardized digital reading ecosystems."

One significant development announced earlier in the month was a new joint venture between Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) and Arabookverse UK, a leading platform for audiobooks and e-books. The agreement aimed to enrich the digital and audio publishing landscape across the Arab world.

"We will build studios for audiobooks and production and increase Arabic content in all digital formats," Ali Abdel-moneim, CEO and cofounder of Arabookverse UK, told PW.

The strategic partnership, signed by Abdel-moneim and SBA CEO Ahmed Al Ameri, included plans for the annual production of audiobooks and e-books, along with the establishment of a modern studio dedicated to creating high-quality Arabic audio content. Its ultimate aim is expanding the global reach of Arabic content by driving innovation, developing the Arab digital market, and protecting intellectual property.