The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is shaping the future and cloud is revolutionising the media industry, the second annual Al Jazeera Future of Media Leaders’ Summit (FMLS) was told on Monday.

“4IR, the current industrial revolution we are living in, is digital, and it is about empowering people and empowering minds. Cloud is just a bunch of interconnected computers, accessible from anywhere. That is why we have gathered users and makers of technology and media at the summit so that we can empower each other" said Mohamed Abuagla, executive director, Technology & Operations, Al Jazeera Media Network.

Demystifying cloud computing, Abuagla said: “Cloud allows you to access any kind of information anywhere, at any time and collaborate with other people who are doing the same. The new revolution will make us collaborate to tell stories."

“The 4IR is a combination of technology and technological innovations that includes several factors such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, mixed reality, the Internet of Things, sensors and robotics. It is likely that robots will be our coworkers in the coming days,” he explained.


Mohamed Abuagla, executive director, Technology & Operations, Al Jazeera Media Network.

Abuagla described the evolution of human communications from stone tablets to drones. He also spoke about cybersecurity and noted, “The world is only as safe as the measures that you take” - emphasising that "we need to work together to develop those measures".

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is described as a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, and impacting all disciplines, economies and industries.

The summit was opened by HE Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer al-Thani, chairman of Al Jazeera Media Network. “We are here in order to exchange insights with a constellation of experts who are meeting together to envisage the future. I am confident that what you are working with contribute to that future,” he noted.

Waleed al-Sayed, CEO of Ooredoo Qatar who spoke about the digitisation of telecommunications and how media consumption is shifting radically across generations, said: “Seventy-four per cent of those aged between 20 and 40 years spend up to four hours a day on their smartphones. This generation does not watch TV and listen to bulletins. We need information to reach audiences in an innovative way.”

Wadah Khanfar, president of the Al Sharq Forum and former director-general of the Al Jazeera Media Network, spoke about how the media landscape has been "radically and chaotically" transformed, and a new paradigm emerged, with the newsroom being integrated digitally and technologically. In addition, he talked about the role of the media in curating and presenting knowledge, not just information - in a world awash with the latter.

Mark Harrison, managing director of the Digital Production Partnership, spoke about 'What’s Shaping the Media Cloud'. He predicted that the collaborative approach between media and technology will continue to deepen and numerous traditional media structures and organisations will fragment under new realities.

Yousef al-Khalidi, corporate vice-president, Microsoft, spoke on the subject of digital transformation and Microsoft’s Azure programme. Microsoft estimates that by 2025, 60% of all information will be held on the cloud.

The summit concludes on Tuesday.

Related Story