Web Summit Qatar 2026: Sheikha Moza Calls for Protecting Language and Identity in AI Era

Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, at the Web Summit Qatar 2026, spotlighted the growing tension between language, technology and identity in the age of artificial intelligence.

Speaking at the summit, Sheikha Moza emphasised the need to embed human values into rapid digital transformation, warning that technological progress without cultural grounding risks eroding meaning and collective identity.

In remarks focused on the role of Arabic in shaping awareness and values, Sheikha Moza described the current moment as a critical turning point for the Arab world.

“Today, in the Arab world, we face a rare turning point, where resources alone no longer suffice,” she said. “What is required today is the building of trust between minds and institutions and faith in the Arabic language, and in the creative power it has enabled through the ages.”

She cautioned, however, that the future of Arabic can no longer be separated from technological development, particularly as artificial intelligence reshapes how knowledge is created and transmitted.

“Today, Arabic fights its decisive battle on the frontlines of technology,” she said. “This battle is not over tools, but over meaning, identity, and the power to persist.”

Sheikha Moza added that ensuring the survival and continuity of the Arabic language will require deliberate effort, collective responsibility and strategic investment in knowledge systems that place language at the centre of innovation.

“In this context, it is imperative to contemplate the conditions that will secure the survival and continuity of the Arabic language,” she said. “No nation rises without mobilising its energies, discourse, horizons, determination and tools and through everything that makes this rise a reality, nourished by collective will and sustained by self-driven growth.”

Her remarks set a reflective tone for Web Summit Qatar 2026, which has drawn tens of thousands of founders, investors, policymakers and technology leaders from around the world. The summit features discussions on artificial intelligence, digital governance, geopolitics, climate solutions and the future of global innovation.

As debates around AI governance and cultural representation intensify, Sheikha Moza’s address framed language not merely as a communication tool, but as a central pillar in shaping the ethical and societal direction of emerging technologies.