This year’s WISE Summit focused on the role of AI in education and raised many questions about its impact.
The plenary sessions were dominated by the destruction and ongoing horrors of Gaza, with international attendees from around the world.
The stories and voices of young Palestinians brought to life the physical and emotional destruction taking place.
A highlight was a performance by 15-year-old Palestinian rapper Abdulrahman Al-Shanti, known as MC Abdul, who called for peace.
The education-related work of the WISE Foundation in Gaza was under attack, as highlighted by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, founder of the Foundation and the Summit.
The situation in Palestine was described in robust language, with Israel accused of deliberately targeting places of learning.
The atrocities in Gaza were described as being on a different scale, with numerous schools and universities destroyed.
The emotional damage and destruction of the learning environment will be hard to repair, leaving a whole generation with psychological wounds.
The use of artificial intelligence for creating a certain narrative was also highlighted, raising important questions around bias and independence of expression.
The summit brought together nearly 7,000 stakeholders in education, including a strong contingent of youth.