Page 23 - MBRF PR REPORT - December 2023

Press Release

Knowledge Lounge explores relationship between reading and 5th

Industrial Revolution as part of Knowledge Summit 2023

Dubai, 1 December 2023- The Knowledge Lounge, an initiative by the Mohammed bin Rashid

Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), held various sessions during the Knowledge
Summit 2023. The summit, organized by MBRF and the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP) under the theme ‘Knowledge Cities and the Fifth Industrial Revolution,’
witnessed the sessions highlighting various themes linked to reading and leadership in the age

of artificial intelligence (AI) and smart cities. The summit convened thought leaders, experts,
researchers, and academics, offering a dynamic platform to share valuable insights and ideas

and exhibiting best practices to find solutions to mitigate pressing global challenges.

The Knowledge Lounge organized a session titled ‘Reading and the Fifth Industrial Revolution:

Tools and Solutions,’ with the participation of Dr. Zainab Al-Qaisi, Executive Director of ‘Al
Naqsh’ platform, who is also a translator and editor. During the session, Dr. Al-Qaisi

highlighted the necessity of empowering teachers to make the reading experience more
personalized and attractive by understanding the unique preferences of children. Furthermore,

the session discussed different ways to elevate the reading capabilities of children and the
possibility of leveraging technologies such as AI to make a qualitative leap in teaching and

convert reading into a fun daily activity for children.

Furthermore, under the umbrella of Knowledge Lounge, the summit hosted Dr. Khaled Ghattas

in a session moderated by Rola Al Banna. The session shed light on the significance of
launching and deploying projects like Knowledge Lounge in the UAE and Al-Warsha in

Lebanon that focus on young people and developing their skills. During the session, Dr. Ghattas
introduced a copy of his book titled ‘This is Not What I Wrote’ to MBRF officials and explained

the key objective of the book, which is to ‘give a voice to the voiceless.’ He also stated that the
book comprises a unique collection of philosophical short stories in a distinctive and simplified

writing style that sheds light on social and personal dilemmas confronted by modern humans
from a new perspective. Dr. Ghattas stressed that through this book he does not seek to offer

solutions to these issues; instead, he seeks to stimulate readers’ thinking directly and indirectly
in order to understand and face them.