When Artificial Intelligence Enters the Arab Majlis: How ChatGPT Became the Sage in Our Homes

Our relationship with the digital world is no longer a matter of casual daily utility. It has evolved into a state of mutual influence, a dynamic that is actively reshaping social behavior within the Arab household. With the arrival of artificial intelligence into the space of the Majlis; an institution historically regarded as the center of wisdom, oral history, and collective experience , the balance of knowledge has begun to shift. Algorithms have become Invisible partners in decision-making, dream interpretation, and even emotional management. This Transformation moves beyond anecdotal towards a broader social and cultural evolution.

 

The Digital Ibn Sina: A New Family Confidant

The transition from human intuition to algorithmic advice often manifests in the most private moments. I was recently awakened at 3:31 am by a phone call from my sister, who was unsettled by a disturbing nightmare. While she initially refused to share the details with me, she eventually revealed that the dream had already been narrated to ChatGPT.

For her, the system had become a modern-day ”Ibn Sina” for dream interpretation. ”Speaking with artificial intelligence gives me greater freedom,” she explained, ”because it does not pass judgment and allows discussion of any topic, no matter how sensitive.” This sentiment is mirrored in broader regional trends where AI is increasingly viewed as a daily companion.

A few days later, a discussion with my father regarding my brother’s relationship took an unexpected turn. Instead of responding with his characteristic personal wisdom, he began citing the opinions of a ”relationship expert” ChatGPT. It was a striking realization: my teenage sister and my father, a consulting engineer in his late sixties, had both become close friends with this AI tool , and it is not only me, almost everyone in my circle is living in the same reality. The algorithm may now know more about the internal dynamics of my family and those of others than we do.

The Rapid Spread of AI

The speed at which these tools have entered the home is unprecedented. While earlier technologies like the internet or mobile phones took decades to reach saturation, OpenAI’s ChatGPT reached 400 million users by February 2025. Its demographic is not limited to youth; while the 18–34 age group accounts for roughly 56.6% of users, adoption remains significant across all cohorts.

In Iraq, the foundation for this digital shift is particularly broad. According to 2022 data from the Iraqi Ministry of Planning , 86% of citizens aged five and older use mobile phones, with 92% of those users owning smartphones. In urban centers like Baghdad, usage is nearly universal, providing the infrastructure necessary for AI tools to permeate daily life.

The Crisis of Accuracy and ”Hallucinations”

Motivated by these observations, I decided to test the system’s reliability. I asked ChatGPT about the social status of a well-known colleague. The system proceeded to fabricate an entire narrative about her private life. When challenged, it defended its claims with the confidence of an indisputable witness.

This confidence can lead to genuine risk. During a family trip from Northern Europe to Turkey, I requested a driving route. The system suggested a path through Ukraine, despite the country being an active war zone. When I reminded the algorithm of the conflict, it calmly insisted that ”the proposed areas are considered safe.”

This highlights a technical phenomenon known as ”hallucination,” where the model produces logically structured but entirely fictitious information. In a society built on trust and the oral tradition of the majlis, the danger is not just that the AI ​​tool makes mistakes, it is that it presents those mistakes with such authority that we stop verifying them.

Bridging the Majlis and the Intelligent System

The Majlis is not merely a room; it is a social institution grounded in trust and shared human experience. Introducing an AI tool into this space, one that has never smelled mint, heard a grandmother’s proverb, or felt the weight of familial silence presents a profound cultural paradox.

However, the region is attempting to reconcile these worlds through localized innovation. The development of Arabic-first large language models, such as ”Allam” in Saudi Arabia, represents a strategic shift towards technology that understands local dialects, culture, and regulatory contexts. These models aim to provide relevance and trust that global, English-centric models often lack.

Expert Perspectives on the Digital Divide

Omar Al-Zahawi, a cybersecurity and AI expert, notes that the value of these tools varies significantly by the user’s skill level. ”Individuals with average or limited skills may benefit from AI for basic organization,” he explains, ”whereas those with advanced expertise currently gain only marginal value.”

Recent research from Pennsylvania State University suggests that even the way we interact with these intelligent systems affects their performance. A study found that queries framed in a rude or aggressive tone consistently outperformed polite ones, with accuracy rates for ”impolite” questions reaching 84.8% compared to 80.8% for polite ones.

Al-Zahawi warns that over-dependence by those with limited digital literacy can lead to social issues stemming from disinformation. ”People imagine AI as a super-intellect,” he says, ”when in reality it is a language model predicting what should be said based on training data.”

A 2024 study titled ArabicMMLU , presented at the ACL conference, provides scientific evidence for this accuracy crisis. Researchers found that even the most advanced global AI tools suffer a significant ”performance tax” when switching to Arabic, with many struggling to exceed 60% accuracy on complex cultural and academic Reasoning tasks. This gap confirms that while the AI ​​tool speaks the language, it often lacks the deep cultural and logical framework of its English counterpart.

The Path Forward

The Middle East faces a unique digital journey. While there are concerns about ”intellectual gaps” and the decline of reading culture, AI offers access to sources and perspectives that many might never otherwise encounter. The future of the Arab Majlis will likely belong neither to the AI ​​tool alone nor to humans alone. Instead, it will belong to those who can maintain the critical scrutiny of the Majlis while navigating the vast, yet often flawed, knowledge of the Intelligent system.

Safa Al-Khalidi, 17 helmikuuta 2026

AI, arki, Irak, teknologia, tekoäly

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