Examines who determines which forms of Arabic are recognised, taught, published, indexed and treated as authoritative. It brings together linguistic, literary and computational perspectives to consider Arabic plurality, regional difference and the editorial and technological choices through which language becomes visible to institutions, systems and audiences.
The session asks what happens when Arabic is organised through categories designed for standardisation, discoverability or computational use, and how institutions and language technologies can support access without erasing the diversity of the language and the communities who use it.
Dr. Hanada Taha Thomure
Professor Hanada Taha-Thomure is the Endowed Chair Professor of Arabic Language and Director of the Zai Arabic Language Research Center at Zayed University, UAE. A recognized scholar in Arabic language education, her work focuses on literacy development, curriculum design, language policy, teacher education, and assessment. She has led major initiatives advancing evidence-based Arabic teaching and learning, including the development of innovative diagnostic tools and Arabic language standards. Her research explores Arabic reading development, diglossia, and educational reform, bridging scholarship, classroom practice, and policymaking. She collaborates with governments, international organizations, and educational institutions to strengthen Arabic language education globally.
Adel Miran
I am an Emirati AI and innovation leader with experience in real estate, facilities management, and transformation. I have researched AI since 2017 and AI governance since 2018, advocating responsible, human-centred innovation.
I serve as Director of Administration and Facilities Management at Dubai Holding Real Estate and Chief Commercial Officer at Neuratia Labs. I founded Miranco Innovation & AI Consultancy, advancing dialogue on cultural representation, integrated intelligence, and AI governance.
My achievements include an entrepreneur research award at World AI Expo Dubai 2025; Forttuna Global Excellence Awards 2025 honours as Visionary Leader of the Year in AI and Real Estate and Global 100 Legacy Maker; and recognition among the Top 100 in the Middle East for AI innovation.
I am honoured to join this summit as a keynote speaker, presenting “Cultural Sovereignty in AI: Beyond Words.” I champion AI that reflects local knowledge, heritage, and values with people at its centre.
Dr. Hanan Aldarmaki
Hanan Aldarmaki is an Assistant Professor in the Computing and Mathematical Sciences division at Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI). Her research broadly covers speech and language technologies for accessibility, education, and culture, including dialectal Arabic speech and language processing, clinical speech processing for communication disorders, sign language processing, speech privacy, and multimodal language understanding. She is also a co-founder of Potion AI, a UAE-based technology startup building games for educational, clinical, and cultural purposes.