News

Saudi Film Commission To Explore AI In The Movie Industry

The Ministry of Culture’s Film Commission met to discuss how Artificial Intelligence can improve both film production and marketing.

Published

3 years ago

February 27, 2023

Nour Nasir

saudi film commission to explore ai in the movie industry

Getty Images

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) seem to be making the headlines regularly, as ChatGPT and various art creation tools take the internet by storm.

Now, however, AI looks set to transform the film industry, with up-and-coming filmmaker Ahmed Al-Hamoud and Ahmed Kaky — an AI researcher from John Moores University — collaborating on an innovative AI technology that will transform the cinematic frame, blending creative ideas with technical insight.

Powerful AI software isn’t just able to write scripts and compile camera data. The technology could also be used to predict the success of movie projects, design graphics and even promote new movies.

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The Saudi Ministry of Culture’s Film Commission has been closely monitoring the developments of this new technology and is now actively exploring how it can be put to work in the movie industry. At a recent meeting, the film commission noted that computer vision, deep learning, and robotics could aid film production, marketing, and distribution and help make the industry more competitive.

However, although the Saudi Film Commission looked favorably at the use of AI, they also observed that the technology could easily be used for counterfeiting and warned of stagnation if the software was used too frequently.

Related Topics:Artificial Intelligence Saudi Arabia

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YouTube Rolls Out Supervised Children’s Accounts Across MENA

An industry-first feed timer lets parents cap Shorts scrolling. Access can also be switched off entirely ahead of exam season.

Published

11 hours ago

July 10, 2026

Dana Saadeh

YouTube

YouTube has launched supervised kid accounts across the Middle East and North Africa, giving parents a way to hand their children the main YouTube app without handing over all of it. Announced in Dubai on July 2, the accounts are built directly into the platform rather than the standalone YouTube Kids app, and are aimed at families who feel a child has outgrown the curated library but isn’t ready for the open feed.

Parents can choose from three content settings, each broadly aligned with international content ratings. Explore covers educational videos, tutorials, arts and crafts, and dance. Explore More adds gaming and live streams. Most of YouTube opens up almost everything except videos rated 18+ or deemed inappropriate for supervised accounts.

The standout tool is an industry-first Shorts feed timer, which lets parents set daily limits on short-form scrolling. Set it to zero and Shorts disappears altogether – a lever YouTube suggests parents might pull ahead of exam season. Other protections are on by default for all users under 18: “Take a Break” and “Bedtime” reminders, no personalized ad targeting, autoplay switched off, and no ability to upload videos or write comments. The accounts are optional, and parents can end supervision at any time.

The kid accounts join supervised teen accounts already available across the region, which notify parents by email when a teenager uploads a video or starts a live stream.

“YouTube has been a huge part of families’ lives across this region for over 20 years,” said Javid Aslanov, head of YouTube Middle East and North Africa, citing Kantar research showing 95% of viewers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE agree YouTube has top content in education and learning.

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“It’s essential that we protect young people in – not from – the digital world,” added Garth Graham, YouTube’s head of health.

The new settings are rolling out gradually across the MENA, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Iraq. The latest features can be set up through Family Center in the YouTube app or via Google Family Link.