By Munirah Al-Fayez

KUWAIT: Despite fears of artificial intelligence (AI) taking over people’s jobs, three digital professionals in Kuwait are optimistic about the technology, they told Kuwait Times. Alaa Murtadha, a computer engineer, said she chose this field of work because she has been interested in digital professions for as long as she can remember. She believes that digital professions, although challenging like many others, give people who work in the field many opportunities for growth and innovation.

Murtadha said AI can be useful in multiple ways that can “help us rather than take over”, which makes her feel secure in her job rather than worried. According to her, as the world becomes more and more digital and remote working becomes more prominent, digital professions will become more and more advantageous and needed in the Kuwaiti workforce. Digital professions are fun and challenging, according to software engineer Khaled Al-Fayez. Fayez said he chose this profession because he is learning a lot in a constantly evolving field that keeps his brain working.

According to Khaled, AI is used “to enhance his skills” and help him do his job faster by removing tedious and repetitive work that he would otherwise have to do as a developer. But Fayez recommends people to not depend on AI in their jobs, otherwise they will not learn. He added that if a digital professional does not learn, they will not be able to spot mistakes made by AI, pointing out AI technology is not mature enough to meet our demands and exact requirements. Fayez concluded by stating that we only know what the present of AI is and imagining the future of this tech is “speculative and not realistic”.

Farah Al-Abduljader said she has always wanted to learn graphic designing. She said she started freelancing as a graphic designer in her second year of university. According to her, AI is a tool that helps designers visualize their art, using it as a tool rather than becoming dependent on it. Learning how to communicate with AI, according to Abduljader, is an important skill that will help digital professionals use it wisely. According to her, graphic design is unique, because you can choose your own style.

She discovered that graphic design is wildly self-taught and is a skill that grows the more you work on it. She sees that graphic design is needed in Kuwait in marketing, packaging, logos, branding and much more. According to her, digital professions “will make you see the world differently”. To conclude, it seems like many people who are very knowledgeable in the digital world have already started using AI to become more efficient in their work. They are viewing it as a tool that will help them in their job rather than a technology that will take over their job.