Here's what I learned from working with four Saudi creators on a podcast

With their stories and knowledge, creators on YouTube bring an authenticity and creativity that has helped build passionate communities, creating a space to have important conversations that matter to us all.

We knew that these conversations were already happening on YouTube, but we wanted to bring them to the forefront. Because, as cliche as it sounds, the conversations that happen today are important for a better tomorrow. Whether it’s the future of jobs & artificial intelligence, quality of life and wellbeing or sports and development, we wanted to create a platform for young people and the public figures helping shape these futures, to sit down and talk.

Hekayat YouTube, or Play it Forward with YouTube, is our attempt at honouring that dialogue and bringing it to as many people as possible. The podcast features 4 Saudi Arabian creators sitting down with veterans of the creator economy, and people shaping public policy in areas like artificial intelligence and quality of life.

Here’s what I learned from these four conversations:

The Creator Economy in Saudi Arabia: Beeko x Kaswara Al Khatib, CEO of U-Turn Entertainment

“Content creation is a breeze” - said no content creator ever! The road to great content is full of ups and downs; it’s the way of the world and most careers. You can’t please everybody, so make sure you do your inner work to stay resilient in the face of obstacles. One of the ways that helps soften the blow is to make sure you build a strong relationship with your community on YouTube, because they’ll always have your back! And remember, stay authentic and true to yourself and your voice.

The future of jobs & artificial intelligence: Faisal Alsaif x Dr. Raied Aljadaany, Researcher & Consultant at the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)

Is all artificial intelligence created equal? Should it all be built on the same data set? What role does culture play in AI? Artificial intelligence comes with great opportunities, but because it’s built on data, it’s important that different regions work on their own AI systems. This way, it will be able to understand local nuances, dialects and differences. Imagine a self-driving car that was trained on the roads of Copenhagen trying to make it in Riyadh traffic? It just won’t work.

Quality of life & wellbeing: Sukkari & Nourah Alyusuf, Senior Advisor & Head of Global Engagement at the Quality of Life Program

We live in a fast paced world, so what is wellbeing? Is it the same for everyone? There’s a time and place for everything, and we shouldn’t be hard on ourselves when we can’t do it all! Some seasons are there for us to focus on movement, others on careers or education and sometimes it’s family or friends first. We all need to choose what our priority is at that moment and take it from there, as there isn’t a one-size fits all approach to wellbeing.

How AI will impact our lives: Faisal Alsaif x Abdullah Alsabe, Tech Editor at Independent Arabia & Tech Plus Program presenter

Everyone's talking about AI and how it will impact our lives these days. Many people wonder if it will take over jobs or replace people. Abdullah and Faisal claim that AI can complement our work but will never replace people, especially when it comes to things that require emotional intelligence - you can’t beat that ‘human touch’. This is why it’s important to familiarise ourselves with the technology in a way that allows us to make the most of it, in order to support our productivity and help drive us forward. It should never be the primary decision-maker.

Sports for development: Faris Alturki x Haya Sawan, Entrepreneur, Managing Director, Motion Academy, Franchise Owner, Playball Saudi, Content Creator

We all know that sports and movement is important, but it isn’t just about health and fitness; it helps build more resilience to failure, a growth mindset and discipline. These are the values that people who engage in sports build on in the long-term, whether they’re amateur or professional athletes. How can we harness sports so that it helps us develop values and opportunities for our society? This episode will help you find out why investment in sports isn’t just about the tournaments, but also about building a stronger, more connected community overall.

All five episodes are now live with English subtitles on YouTube Arabia’s YouTube channel.