AI can preserve and grow the Arabic language

Arabic is one of the oldest and most culturally rich languages in the world. Today, it is spoken by more than 300 million people across 24 countries. Its history is intertwined with the history of Islam and of various tribes, communities and even empires spanning from Africa to the Middle East. Outside its birthplace, Arabic is a popular choice as a foreign language, with students in the US and the UK showing particular interest in learning Arabic, alongside hundreds of millions of Muslims who recite it every day.
Despite its rich history and growing international prominence, Arabic is facing an existential crisis within the Arab world itself. The significant decline in daily usage of the language among Arab youth is one of the biggest contemporary sociocultural challenges in the region. More than half of young people (54 percent) in the Middle East and North Africa report using English more than Arabic in everyday life, stating that foreign languages are perceived as more practical for education and employment.
A major factor contributing to this decline is the increasing number of Arab youths studying at international universities. The presence of American and British institutions has expanded significantly across the region and many students now complete their entire education in foreign languages such as English or French. Egypt represents one of the most mature international school markets, with close to 2 million students enrolled. More than 35,000 of these students follow the British curriculum. Inevitably, this has pushed Arabic to the backburner and the language is either seldom spoken in the daily lives of young people or has transitioned into a hybrid form with a mix of Western languages.
The Gulf region, particularly the UAE, hosts the highest concentration of international schools in the Middle East. Dubai alone has some 245 international schools, with about 60 percent of its Emirati students enrolled in American-curriculum schools. In Abu Dhabi, 144 international schools operate, with British curriculum schools being the most popular. Qatar follows closely behind, with more than 140 international schools. This is in addition to the significant number of MENA students moving abroad for education, where the usage of Arabic in day-to-day life is even less common.
This trend is largely driven by local preferences for Western-style education. Parents who studied abroad now aspire to offer the same global exposure to their children. However, this has reduced the usage of Arabic in both academic settings and daily interactions, as the medium of instruction in such schools is usually English. This transition poses a challenge to the preservation of the Arabic language and the cultural identity associated with it.
The dominance of English in the job market is another factor. As the global language of business, English is widely spoken in the workplace. In Gulf countries, the workforce is diverse and cosmopolitan. This multilingual environment often leads to English becoming the primary language in both professional and social life.

Migration flows also play a prominent role in Arabic’s decline. Arabs are among the populations with the highest emigration rates. In fact, about half of all Arab migrants now live outside the Arab world, mainly in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Since the 1950s, Arab migrants have settled across Europe. First-generation immigrants often preserved their linguistic heritage, but with each subsequent generation born and raised outside the Arab world, the usage of Arabic reduces. As such, cultural identity becomes diluted and Arabic proficiency declines across generations.

There is a wave of innovation emerging in the form of Arabic-focused artificial intelligence technologies.

Zaid M. Belbagi

Amid these growing challenges to Arabic, there is a wave of innovation emerging in the form of Arabic-focused artificial intelligence technologies and large language models. These developments can play a significant role in reviving the regular use of the language and reconnecting the Arab youth with their linguistic heritage. AI may well be the answer to Arabic’s existential crisis. From chatbots and voice assistants to translation engines, many tools are now being designed with Modern Standard Arabic and regional dialects as references. Even Western AI assistant models offer Arabic as an option.
One notable initiative is Noor, developed by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. It is the first large-scale Arabic language transformer model, trained on diverse data including news, social media and academic texts. Noor supports text generation, classification and translation in Arabic. Another innovative project is Tarjama, an AI-powered language service provider that supports translation, subtitling, transcription and content creation.
Recognizing the richness and diversity of Arabic dialects, the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language has also launched an Arabic Intelligence Center to develop models that understand regional linguistic variations. In a similar vein, the Arabic Large Language Model — developed by the Saudi Data and AI Authority — is trained on more than 500 billion Arabic linguistic units to advance an Arabic generative AI model globally.
These innovative AI models represent far more than just technological progress. They also preserve culture, reinforce identities and serve as powerful tools of soft power. By making Arabic more accessible through AI, these platforms offer renewed opportunities to engage with the language.
Today’s young people rely heavily on AI-driven tools for learning and communication. Therefore, Arabic AI models can help bring the language into their digital lives, making it part of their search habits and everyday conversations.
And because many of these tools are designed to support a wide range of dialects, they do not just promote comprehension and education, they also spark a renewed sense of pride and belonging. This will encourage young users to reconnect with their Arabic identity and heritage.
At a time when the world is assessing the opportunities and challenges presented by AI in the education sphere, for the Arabic language this is certainly good news. Arabic-focused language models and AI technologies are allowing Arabic to find its voice again through platforms that young people are using regularly. Not only is this growth sparking the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in the region, the digitalization of Arabic is also serving as the crucial cultural bridge needed to bring the Arab youth back to its roots. There is thus hope for reviving the language, protecting its richness and encouraging future generations to speak, learn and live in Arabic once again.

• Zaid M. Belbagi is a political commentator and an adviser to private clients between London and the Gulf Cooperation Council. X: @Moulay_Zaid