The first fifteen years went by slowly, the last five in a blur.
CABSAT is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and I am glad to have been part of 20 years of that journey, seeing it morph from the small show that it was back then to the dynamic event it has become today, reflecting the sweeping changes that have taken place in the Arab world in recent years.
Although we started slow with just HD on the horizon twenty years ago, the last five years have seen an avalanche of technologies disrupt the market and often, before we have had time to recover from one in terms of investment and transition, we find ourselves hit by the next big wave. Besides this, we are witness to several parallel journeys and all are evolving equally rapidly. On the one hand, we have the metaverse, the virtual, augmented and mixed realities and the NFTs to contend with; on the other, we have AI, generative AI and all its many offshoots and the services they are able to provide within the blink of an eyelid.
I’m personally delighted that I can leave the tedious tasks to AI and get on with the jobs that require a brain. As a journalist, I’m particularly grateful to have left behind the days when the transcription of an hour-long interview would take a few hours. Of course, by the time you had finished the transcription, the information was etched in your brain; you knew what to peg your story on and the key highlights. But I’d also probably have had to contend with carpal tunnel syndrome a few years down the line. Today, I can listen to the interview at 1.5x speed, jot down the important points and let Descript get on with the tedious part.
AI was a big part of the discussions at NAB. That will continue at CABSAT. And a great place to witness the new products that are revolutionising our part of the world will be the BroadcastPro Manufacturer Awards on May 22 at the H Hotel, just a zebra crossing away from the Dubai World Trade Centre. Don’t forget to book a seat. See you at the show.
