It is with great pleasure that we present this Communications of the ACM Regional Special Section of the Arab World. In this second edition, we highlight some of the region’s exciting, innovative, and socially relevant advances in computing and its applications.
The Arab world is home to a rich mosaic of cultures, histories, and geographies, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf. It is witnessing a surge of scientific activity driven by major educational, technological, and economic transformations, all in a very diverse socio-economic ecosystem. Researchers in the region are tackling pressing challenges while also pushing global boundaries in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and quantum computing. This special section offers a snapshot of that momentum, featuring a diverse set of contributions that blend technical rigor with societal impact.
The Arab world is witnessing a surge of scientific activity driven by major educational, technological, and economic transformations, all in a very diverse socio-economic ecosystem.
We begin with short articles on Hot Topics that capture timely and impactful developments: the use of aerial technologies to manage crowd logistics during the Hajj pilgrimage, a critical look at digital addiction within Arab families, and a spotlight on advancements in Arabic voice-generation systems. We then move to a series of in-depth articles on Big Trends that explore strategic and foundational areas of research. These include surveys of AI in networking research, cybersecurity along technical and socio-political angles, and the evolving landscape of Arabic large language models (LLMs). The issue also features perspectives on misinformation and media literacy, the role of AI in disaster response, regional progress in digital twin technologies, and an overview of emerging quantum-computing efforts in the Arab research ecosystem.
As co-organizers, we have found this journey both inspiring and enlightening. Of course, this issue is by no means comprehensive of all the exciting research in the Arab world. However, we hope this collection encourages readers to learn more about the region’s research ecosystem and initiate new collaborations, both within and outside the region. Finally, we would like to thank all the authors, reviewers, and the Communications team for their efforts in making this issue a success. Special thanks go to Cherif Salama (AUC, Egypt) for his tireless efforts in the organization of this issue.
— Sherif G. Aly, Mourad Ouzzani, and Moustafa Youssef, co-organizers of the 2025 Arab World Regional Special Section
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