His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the World Governments Summit Foundation, stated that the fourth edition of the “One Billion Followers Summit” in Dubai is currently being followed by over half a billion people around the world. He noted that this number continues to grow with each new edition, reflecting the rising impact and global reach of digital content.
His Excellency explained that the digital landscape today witnesses the production of over 50 million videos on just two platforms, while an individual is exposed to more than 10,000 media messages daily. On average, people spend nearly five hours a day on social media.
“These numbers reflect a fundamental shift in the role of content,” said His Excellency. “Content creation is no longer merely decorative or entertaining; it has become a central element that contributes to shaping human awareness, building imagination, and influencing systems of values and knowledge. This places an increasing responsibility on both content creators and digital platforms.”
His Excellency stated that more than 200 million people around the world are currently working in the content creation industry. He emphasized that the influence of this sector often surpasses that of governments, given that content creators are more present in people’s daily lives and are more capable of shaping their convictions and behaviors.
His Excellency added, “The world used to be driven by three primary powers: governments, scientists, and corporations. But the digital era has introduced a fourth power — algorithms — which now play a decisive role in steering audience decisions and determining what content spreads and what fades away.”
His Excellency highlighted that these algorithms go beyond influencing consumption patterns and social or economic decisions — they sometimes even extend to political decisions. “Content creators are the primary engine feeding these algorithms,” he said, “which doubles their responsibility to deliver conscious and responsible content.”
His Excellency went on to say that artificial intelligence has become a major driver in shaping digital content. “More than 86% of content creators now use AI,” he noted, “which contributes to quadrupling the volume of content production and reducing production costs by up to 60%.”
His Excellency also pointed out that over 70% of the images currently circulating in the digital space are AI-generated. The global market for artificial intelligence is expected to reach $37 billion over the next four years, reflecting the growing role of digital technologies in content creation and their increasing influence on audiences.
