Innovation by Design Summit explores intersection of technology, creativity

Doha, Qatar: The region’s first Innovation by Design Summit, held recently, addressed the impact of technology on creativity. Ibtechar Digital Solutions Founding Partner and CEO, Nayef Al Ibrahim, stressed the need for a governance framework that benefits everyone.

“Either we disrupt an existing scene or replace an existing use of it, and with that, we adopt new methodologies. Technology goes through a maturity curve, and then we have to consider the learning curve for humans—both of which will form a governance framework to benefit all,” he said. Al Ibrahim made these remarks during a panel discussion titled “Is technology empowering creativity or stifling it?”

He highlighted the shift in required human skills, explaining: “What’s going to happen is the skills that are required from humans are going to shift from spending that time thinking creatively to contextualising the output of ChatGPT and at the same time building a relevancy between the two and how it will be deployed.” ChatGPT is a chatbot developed by OpenAI and was launched in 2022. Ibtechar Digital Solutions is an innovation development and management company founded in 2011 in Qatar. It has received the SME Excellence Award last year and was ranked 23rd among the top 50 SMEs excelling in their respective fields.

Qatar Scientific Club Head of Robotics and AI, Mohammed Al Qassabi, meanwhile advocated for collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence or most commonly known as AI. He stressed the importance of using AI tools efficiently and integrating them into education systems to meet the increasing demand for AI skills. “We need to learn how to utilise these tools and work with them.”

García Media CEO and Founder, Dr. Mario R. García, stressed the unique position of humans in creativity. “Humans can connect the disconnected, robots cannot.” “AI is a tool, and a human is a creator. We can make connections where none appear to be, and connectivity is crucial to innovation,” speaking on the topic “Mind the AI Gap: Deciphering Content and Business Realms.”

Moreover, he discussed the media revolution and the importance of designing content for mobile consumption. “All of us in design should be designing things to be consumed vertically and on a mobile device.”