Talal Abu-Ghazaleh

To the young innovators in our Arab region, I offer this message as someone who has spent many years leading international technology initiatives. I have observed how nations progress when their youth understand the richness of their own heritage and how it has contributed to technological advancements in meaningful ways. This is why I believe it is important for you to understand the true lineage of computing technology, and by default AI.
Many accounts in Western media describe the origins of intelligent machines as if they began with the Jacquard Loom or the work of Charles Babbage. This is what I was taught when attending my first computer course at IBM in the UK in 1965. Their work is undoubtedly important to the field, but what is often missed out is that they emerged from a long history, which has its origins in this region.

The Arab and Islamic world produced engineers whose ideas shaped the foundations of programmable behavior, around six centuries before the industrial era and personalities like Babbage and Loom. The most important figure from this period is Al-Jazari, who existed at the beginning of the 13th century.
His work remains a central part of the development of mechanical logic called “The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices” (كتاب في معرفة الحيل الهندسية), which is one of the most important engineering works in human history, as a practical manual that documents fifty mechanical devices, how they work, and how to build them.

Al-Jazari created machines that required users to make specific adjustments for operational changes. His devices used cams, pegs and rotating drums that allowed the operator to adjust sequences of actions. This meant the machine did not follow a single fixed pattern but followed a pattern chosen by the user. This is the core idea behind programmability.
His musical automaton serves as a direct illustration. The drum pattern and rhythm transformed when rearranging the pegs on the drum. This is a demonstration of structured, modifiable logic. While studying his work, I have seen concepts that closely resemble the fundamental principles that would later form the basis of modern computing.

The complete historical development of his work becomes evident through studying his work in its chronological sequence. Programmable behavior appears in Al-Jazari’s devices in 1206. It appears again in the Jacquard Loom in 1804, then in Babbage’s Analytical Engine in 1837, and later in the first software written by Ada Lovelace. Each stage serves as a building block for the next, which must be understood in its entirety in order to produce a true picture of computing development and the personalities behind it. Omitting Al-Jazari’s work distorts the entire narrative. Historians need to show the chain of events as they actually occurred and give credit where it is due.
When such important foundational work is absent in the minds of our youth, they believe that innovation is something that happens elsewhere, and that our tradition is detached and has played no part in technological development. This belief becomes self-limiting and weakens the sense of ownership over technology and innovation.

A new Arab scientific and technological renaissance needs a proper understanding of our history in this area, as well as personalities like Al-Jazari. This strengthens the motivation of young innovators to see themselves as part of a long tradition of engineering and innovation, which encourages a deeper engagement in all technological fields. This results in seeing technology not as an imported idea, but as one that was founded with deep roots in this region that they have a link to.

There are several lessons I hope young innovators will take from this. Progress is built on long chains of ideas, and this region has contributed to these chains in meaningful ways. Accurate history is essential for building confidence and ambition, with innovation requiring both respect for the past and commitment to the future.
I believe we have plenty of inspiring talent in this region to shape the next chapter of technological development, just as Al-Jazari shaped an earlier one.