American University of Sharjah Establishes Pioneering UNESCO Chair for Arabic Language, AI and Digital Heritage
Under the patronage of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, AUS becomes the world's only institution to host a UNESCO Chair dedicated to advancing Arabic scholarship through artificial intelligence and digital preservation.
American University of Sharjah has entered into a distinguished partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation to establish an unprecedented UNESCO Chair in Arabic Language, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Heritage. This remarkable initiative, which unfolds under the esteemed patronage of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of AUS, positions the university as the sole institution globally to host a UNESCO Chair of this distinctive character.
The Chair represents an innovative convergence of Arabic scholarship and technological advancement, dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of Arab cultural and linguistic heritage through sophisticated digital solutions. Its multifaceted mandate encompasses the collection, digitisation and curation of invaluable cultural artefacts, including endangered Arabic dialects, whilst establishing multilingual metadata standards that enhance accessibility across diverse communities.
Dr. Tod A. Laursen, Chancellor of AUS, articulated the profound significance of this endeavour: “Arabic carries the memory of a region, its ideas, its poetry and its everyday voices. When archives remain undigitised or dialects go undocumented, heritage becomes harder to reach and easier to lose. This UNESCO Chair will unite rigorous Arabic scholarship with responsible AI and digital humanities to preserve, curate and open new pathways to Arab cultural and linguistic heritage at scale, while training people who can carry this work forward.”
The Chair shall advance interdisciplinary research at the intersection of Arabic studies, artificial intelligence and digital humanities, integrating machine learning and contemporary digital tools to generate scholarly publications, open-access resources and innovative approaches to contemporary debates within Arab societies. A comprehensive training platform will establish workshops, certification programmes and developmental opportunities for early-career scholars, media professionals and cultural practitioners, fostering the cultivation of essential competencies throughout the region.
Irakli Khodeli, Chief of UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformations and Foresight Section, emphasised the linguistic dimension of technological transformation: “With the unprecedented speed and scale of advancement and use of AI, especially Large Language Models, language is playing a critical role in the way technology is transforming societies. We must ensure that the Arabic language, used daily by more than 500 million people, is fully contributing to and benefiting from these transformations.”
The initiative will strengthen cross-regional collaboration by developing open-access digital projects with institutions throughout the Arab States, Africa and Asia-Pacific, whilst engaging youth and communities in digital storytelling and heritage preservation initiatives. At AUS, the Chair shall draw upon the established excellence of the Center for Arab Studies and Islamic Civilisations and the distinguished expertise of the Department of Arabic and Translation Studies, whose faculty specialise in Arabic linguistics, literature, Islamic studies and translation scholarship.
Source: WAM