Man is the maker of the future, not technology, platforms or algorithms

The Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Mohammed Abdullah Al-Gergawi, confirmed that the content industry has today become one of the most influential forces in shaping the awareness of societies and building individuals’ perceptions of the world, noting that the “Billion Followers Summit” represents the largest global annual gathering of content makers, and the most important international platform to discuss the future of this accelerating industry.

Global platform

During his opening speech, His Excellency explained that the summit, which was launched four years ago, has succeeded in consolidating its position as an influential global platform, as in its current edition it hosts more than 500 speakers and about 30,000 participants, through 580 sessions and workshops covering the areas of economic, educational, and societal content, stressing that the goal is not limited to celebrating the content industry, but rather highlighting it as a force capable of improving people’s lives and creating a sustainable positive impact.

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50 million videos

Al-Gergawi pointed out that today the world is witnessing the production of more than 50 million video clips daily on two platforms only, while people are exposed to more than 10,000 media messages daily, and spend on average about five hours a day on social media, stressing that content creation is no longer an entertainment or formative activity, but rather has become a basic industry that contributes to shaping awareness, building imagination, formulating priorities, and influencing the future of individuals and societies.

Content creation

He explained that the influence of content makers often exceeds the influence of governments, with more than 200 million people working in this industry globally, which imposes a great moral and ethical responsibility on content makers, who are no longer merely transmitters of information, but rather partners in building people and creating meaning.

Three ideas

His Excellency reviewed three pivotal ideas, the first of which is that the content industry is no longer an entertainment industry, but rather a meaning industry, stressing that man does not live without meaning, and that the collapse of meaning leads to the collapse of man and society, pointing out that digital media today competes with the role of the family and school in shaping values, which calls for conscious and responsible content that enhances positive values ​​and restores respect for science, knowledge, the teacher, the doctor, and the productive person.

The path of humanity

As for the second idea, it dealt with the forces that changed the course of humanity throughout history, explaining that governments, scientists, and companies formed the three traditional forces, before a new force emerged today represented by “algorithms,” which have come to determine human priorities and influence their economic, social, and sometimes political decisions. He stressed that content makers are the ones who feed these algorithms, which makes them a primary driver of the human journey, and not just searchers for a larger number of followers.

Follower industry

Al-Gergawi called for moving from “creating followers” to “creating impact,” and from content that consumes time to content that builds people, reviewing humanitarian and educational initiatives launched within the summit, including a global campaign in cooperation with the famous content creator “Mr. Best,” which resulted in the implementation of more than 170,000 community actions around the world, in addition to the educational content initiative in which more than 600,000 creators participated, and achieved more than 1.8 billion views, in support of educational and entertainment content. Purposeful.

artificial intelligence

Regarding the third idea, His Excellency stressed that artificial intelligence is radically reshaping the content industry, noting that social media companies are investing about $250 billion in this field, and that 86% of content makers are currently using artificial intelligence tools. He pointed out that more than 70% of the images circulating on digital platforms are generated by artificial intelligence, with expectations that the size of the virtual character market will reach $37 billion within four years.

Practical initiatives

Al Gergawi pointed to practical initiatives to test the limits of artificial intelligence in content creation, including the launch of the first global competition to produce films with artificial intelligence in cooperation with Google, worth one million dollars, in which more than 30,000 creators from 16 countries participated, considering that this step represents a real shift in the future of the cinema and visual content industry.

Man creates the future

His Excellency concluded his speech by emphasizing that it is not technology, platforms, or algorithms that create the future, but rather humans, stressing that human imagination, audacity, and the meaning they provide are what determine the shape of the future, calling on content makers to assume their responsibility in creating a positive impact that serves societies and humanity.