Dubai: The inaugural day of the Arab Media Forum 2023 on Monday witnessed the launch of ‘MAi,’ a state-of-the-art virtual assistant that will be on hand to offer guests information related to the forum in Arabic and other languages.
The AI-powered virtual assistant made its debut appearance as it welcomed the guests at the main stage in the presence of Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Media Council.
MAi is an acronym for Media Artificial Intelligence and the word Mai in Arabic means a gazelle fawn, which has a link with the Arab region.
MAi introduced itself on the screen of the main stage and welcomed Mona Al Marri, vice chairperson and managing director of Dubai Media Council and president of Dubai Press Club for delivering her welcome note. Al Marri began her speech by thanking MAi for the introduction.
The introduction of the advanced virtual assistant aligns with the event’s focus on exploring how artificial intelligence will reshape the media. ‘MAi’ boasts advanced AI capabilities that enable it to engage in conversations with guests in Arabic and multiple other languages.
‘MAi’ serves as a comprehensive information resource on the Arab Media Forum, offering details on session schedules, timings and venues. It has the capability to alter its voice to imitate renowned personalities from the media and film industries, irrespective of gender.
In its introductory video, MAi said it can emulate the voices of Saudi TV presenter and columnist Abdullah Al Mudaifer, Lebanese TV personality Rabia Al Zayyat and Egyptian journalist and presenter Emad El Din Adeeb among others.
The virtual assistant is accessible across the Madinat Jumeirah, the venue of the event, for the approximately 3,000 attendees of the two-day Forum organised by the Dubai Press Club.
