The distinguished panel at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival underscored the power of the human mind in communication and creation, and felt that AI can only play an assistive role

Sharjah, April 24, 2025  

Eminent writers and thinkers from the Arabian region analysed the power of the written word that flows unfiltered from creative minds and the role of Artificial Intelligence in shaping the future of writing at a cultural dialogue session titled “Artificial Intelligence and the Rise of New Writers?” on the opening day of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2025 (SCRF).

Prof Sumaya Al Madeed, a professor of Computer Science and researcher from Qatar University, noted that “AI lacks feelings and experiences that humans have” but it can be used in a conscious and responsible way to be an assistant tool. She pointed out that in her university, students have to disclose if they use AI for completing assignments. She narrated a particular occasion when she gave AI her child’s picture and asked it to create a suitable poem for a birthday but how it could not create an authentic one that comes from the heart. She however felt AI had its uses in functioning as a private tutor for a student or to help train autistic children in a positive way.

Linda Booth Sweeney and Fatima Al Mazrooi get together at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival to discuss how stories can simplify complex ideas, connecting children to values that shape their world

Sharjah, April 24, 2025

At a time when children are navigating an increasingly complex world, authors have a critical role to play in helping them make sense of it all – one story at a time. That was the heart of the conversation on the opening day of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2025) on Wednesday evening during a thought-provoking panel discussion featuring celebrated children’s and Young Adult (YA) authors Linda Booth Sweeney and Fatima Al Mazrooi.

The session, moderated by literary editor and cultural commentator Hala Harb, explored how storytelling can turn subjects like systems thinking, emotional growth, and nature’s interconnectedness into fun, digestible narratives for young minds.

Creator of Geronimo Stilton, the beloved cheese-chasing, mild-mannered mouse shares stories, values, and her admiration for Sharjah on the opening day of the annual festival

Sharjah, April 24, 2025

The Reading Corner at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2025 (SCRF) – that opened at the Sharjah Expo Centre on Wednesday – went abuzz as acclaimed Italian author behind the globally adored Geronimo Stilton series wowed children, parents, and teachers alike with a lively and heartwarming reading session.