“For the six editions prior to this year, we had no representation from Egypt or anywhere else in North Africa,” said Seham Elmrayed, assistant professor at AUC’s Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology and hackathon task force lead. “There’s a lot to capitalize on at AUC and in the Egyptian community that can help advance healthcare problems.”

Under this year’s theme “Building High-Value Health Systems: Leveraging AI,” the hackathon brought together more than 100 innovators. As the hackathon's Egypt hub, AUC hosted 22 teams from institutions across five continents, who spent two days designing functional prototypes addressing global health system challenges. 

"Unless you have local innovation, you’re not going to be able to translate any of these AI advancements and technologies into something meaningful to support the communities we want to serve."

Winning teams were invited into the HSIL Venture Incubation Program, an eight-week remote boot camp offering structured educational sessions, mentorship and access to investors — culminating in a Global Demo Day. Winning projects ranged from an AI platform generating insights on brain cancer to an accessible pill dispenser with a built-in AI agent to track patient progress.

“The American University in Cairo brings an interdisciplinary ecosystem, making it the right choice to collaborate on this great initiative,” said HSIL Hackathon lead Aminu Osman Alem. “Egypt was selected as a partner country due to its strategic role in the region, its rapidly evolving digital health landscape and its opportunity to address complex health system challenges at scale. The goal is to foster locally grounded solutions with regional relevance, while integrating Egypt into a broader global innovation network across 50+ hubs."

"The American University in Cairo brings an interdisciplinary ecosystem, making it the right choice to collaborate on this great initiative."

AUC students and alumni who participated in the hackathon found the experience beneficial. Abdalla Ashraf (MSc ’24) designed Razi, a locally built lease-to-own business model for on-premise radiology operating systems, designed to reach underserved clinics throughout the region. “Through HSIL, we realized that true innovation is not built in code. It is realized when adoption feels natural and friction disappears. Healthcare systems do not need disruption. They need healing,” Ashraf said.

Areeg Elkholy, a data science junior, helped create MedIntel, an AI-driven platform identifying misalignment between historical resource spending and the needs of the population. “What I found most valuable was how the experience pushed us to think beyond the technical side and engage with real-world system challenges, while also strengthening my ability to communicate complex ideas clearly under pressure,” Elkholy said.

Elmrayed, who teaches a graduate-level class on AI introduction and applications in healthcare, explained that artificial intelligence has already begun to support healthcare professionals in synthesizing large quantities of data. As health systems worldwide are burdened with challenges like workforce burnout, AI can produce predictive insights and classify diseases to make healthcare interventions more timely and effective. Even with new technologies, the focus remains on decision making and proper application.

“AI technologies do not equal clinical significance or performance,” Elmrayed said. “You have to think through the application. You have to think through adaptability.” Egypt’s role as a hub allows innovators to share ideas and translate these technologies into a local context. “Healthcare systems are shared globally, but they manifest in locally defined or context-dependent ways,” Elmrayed said. “Unless you have local innovation, you’re not going to be able to translate any of these AI advancements and technologies into something meaningful to support the communities we want to serve.”

"Egypt was selected as a partner country due to its strategic role in the region, its rapidly evolving digital health landscape and its opportunity to address complex health system challenges at scale."

Emphasizing the importance of this collaboration, Elmrayed added, “AUC’s selection as a global hub reflects the strength of our academic ecosystem and our commitment to fostering innovation that addresses critical societal challenges. This initiative creates a unique opportunity to connect talent across disciplines and empower the next generation of innovators in digital health.”

Music is a world within itself —  a language AUC freshman David Maged instinctively understands.

Nineteen-year-old Maged is a budding multi-hyphenate: a drummer, producer, pianist, guitarist and an AUC Excellence Scholarship awardee. His talents have taken him from performing for kings and queens at the Grand Egyptian Museum opening to drumming alongside Egyptian rap legend Marwan Pablo.

“It’s what makes me happy, what makes me feel alive. Everything I do is about music,” Maged said.

Even as a baby, Maged showed a natural sense of rhythm, constantly tapping on surfaces and objects around the house. With two musician parents — his father a drummer and his mother a pianist  —  his talents did not go unnoticed and they quickly bought him a mini drum set as a 2 year old.

"It's what makes me happy, what makes me feel alive. Everything I do is about music."

In his early teens, Maged spent up to four hours every day practicing. But as his International Baccalaureate program grew more demanding, he has often had to put music in the backseat.'

“I have this hunger,” Maged said. “I want to practice — I have this constant need to.”

Despite the academic demands, Maged continued to perform, building his chops playing professional jazz gigs around Cairo. In 2022, he joined the all-teenage Andrew Milad Trio, which fuses Egyptian electronic street music with contemporary jazz, funk and hip-hop in performances at venues such as the Cairo International Jazz Festival, Room Art Space and the Goethe-Institut Kairo.

His skill and professionalism caught the attention of renowned Egyptian conductor Nayer Nagui, principal conductor of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Orchestra and former artistic director and principal conductor of the Cairo Opera Orchestra. 

Nagui tapped Maged to play in Marwan Pablo’s Red Bull Symphonic Orchestra concert in December 2024. As the only drummer in the Cairo Celebration Choir and Orchestra, he performed some of Pablo’s greatest hits alongside the artist, widely hailed as the Egyptian godfather of trap.

Nagui had previously selected Maged for smaller performances, recognizing his potential early on. Soon after, he selected him again to perform at the highly anticipated opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, where Maged was one of two drummers among nearly 120 performers representing 79 nationalities.

“It was amazing. There were no big crowds like the Red Bull Symphonic — only presidents and kings, so a different kind of pressure,” Maged said.

Maged is now looking to expand his musical horizons at AUC, connecting with fellow students working in Cairo’s music scene on campus and beyond. “I’m excited to learn new skills,” Maged said. “AUC encourages students who work hard and have other talents.” 

He is also gaining hands-on experience as an assistant music producer for music technology alum Maher El Mallakh ’14, whose credits include the film Siko Siko, the Ramadan mini-series El Harsha El Sabaa’ and the Shahid mini-series Cloud Kitchen. 

To be a good music producer, you must listen — and Maged’s Spotify reflects that, featuring everything from Gen-Z crooner Daniel Caesar to the famed pianist Michel Petrucciani. “You need to understand every component of the music, of the instrument,” Maged said.

Scoring films with another AUC alum sparked his interest in studying film at the University. “I would love to learn more about the film industry because I’m really into creative work,” he said. 
Balancing gigs, music production and classes can be daunting, but for Maged, adjusting to a new rhythm is just part of the job. 

Seeing is no longer the same as believing. With the rise of major social media platforms in the mid-to-late 2000s, social media has gradually become a key source of news for many people. Within this ecosystem, consumption has shifted toward superficial skimming of headlines rather than deep engagement. A 2016 study found that 60% of links to Washington Post articles shared on social media were never opened. Users often share headlines because they either confirm existing beliefs or feel provoked, without necessarily reading the article. 

With social media becoming a main source of news for many as well as an influx of AI-generated videos and deep fakes deployed on social media — by entertainers, fraudsters and political actors alike — consumers struggle to distinguish between authenticity and illusion. Khaled Ezzelarab, associate professor of practice in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and director of AUC’s Middle East studies program, believes that this phenomenon is further weakening public trust in the media ecosystem as the lines between information and misinformation become increasingly blurred. AUCToday spoke with Ezzelarab to learn more.

Media literacy is not just about teaching practical skills. It is also about how information is produced, shaped and circulated, especially in an environment increasingly affected by AI

What effect does the rise of social media and AI-generated content have on journalism? 

In terms of production, the social media ecosystem favors virality, speed and volume, and that has reshaped journalism. Egyptian news outlets are now largely driven by what is trending online, which influences not only whether a story is covered but how it is told. 

Instead of producing one comprehensive narrative, journalists are often required to publish multiple updates — announcements, reactions and follow-ups — because platforms reward constant output. In many cases, this has led to lower-quality reporting driven by platform logic rather than editorial judgment.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this shift?

One advantage is that social media has challenged dominant narratives. Many people, especially the younger audiences, now consume major events primarily through social media. For example, the war in Gaza has been widely circulated through social media, contributing to a noticeable shift in how Western audiences engaged with this issue. This has made it possible for the public to witness events that might otherwise go unseen, as anyone with a smartphone can act as a citizen journalist. 

On the flip side, the spread of misinformation — false information shared unintentionally — and disinformation — deliberately misleading content — has accelerated. The idea that social media is a completely open space is not entirely accurate because platforms and governments impose significant restrictions, shaping what can and cannot circulate.

Why does misinformation spread so quickly in times of crisis?

In moments of political conflict, natural disasters or uncertainty, audiences actively look for information to make sense of unfolding events. Algorithms respond by amplifying “news” content — including misinformation and disinformation — because they are designed to maximize engagement. Emotional responses also play a key role. Fear, anger and uncertainty make audiences more reactive, and platforms prioritize content that triggers those responses — accelerating the spread of misleading information.

“It has become easy to produce convincing AI-generated videos, making it harder to distinguish between what is real and what is fake.”

How are AI and deep fakes reshaping media credibility, and how should the audience respond?

It has become easy to produce convincing AI-generated videos, making it harder to distinguish between what is real and what is fake. Personally, I have stopped watching videos on social media feeds altogether because there isn’t a reliable way to verify them.

Ironically, this may mark a tipping point. As misinformation becomes more widespread, audiences may begin returning to traditional forms of journalism, where a verification process is more established. At the same time, no single source is sufficient. Audiences must rely on several outlets, as navigating this landscape requires a more critical approach to media consumption.

What role should higher education play in improving media literacy?

Universities have a different role from news organizations. While newsrooms are focused on daily reporting, universities can and should function as spaces for reflection, research and critical engagement with media systems. 

Media literacy is not just about teaching practical skills. It is also about how information is produced, shaped and circulated, especially in an environment increasingly affected by AI. At AUC, for example, education extends beyond the classroom through courses on media literacy, alongside other initiatives like inviting guest lectures and engagement with media professionals. These spaces allow students to move beyond consumption only and begin questioning how media systems operate.

There is music in the air at the AUC Tahrir CultureFest. Moments after TEDx panelists discuss artificial intelligence, musicians tune electric guitars and pluck qanuns (traditional Middle Eastern string instruments) on stage.

The festival placed artificial intelligence at the center of conversations about the future of Cairo and the Arabic-speaking world. Artists across the region are already experimenting with how the technology can be used in film, television and music.

This Ramadan saw the release of the first fully AI-produced series, Alf Leila w Leila - Hammal Sisan, an adaptation of the classic A Thousand and One Nights. BroadcastPro Middle East reported that AI was also used in the opening sequences of 15 television series in Egypt.

“Now you can’t make generic stuff because AI can do it. Real artists are going to stand out. What they make is different, and AI cannot replicate that.”

Beyond television, AI is reshaping music production. Generative tools such as Suno now allow users to create soundtracks from simple text prompts. In Egypt, composer Amr Mostafa’s December 2025 track “Be3teeny Leh,” featuring artists Ziad Zaza and Moataz Mady, was partly composed using AI tools.

Speaking at the closing performance of the AUC Tahrir CultureFest, Mostafa reflected on the creative role of technology: “If you prompt AI well, it gives something unique. But it’s recycling music you’ve heard before, which makes it familiar,” he said.
That raises a deeper question: How does AI interact with the Arab musical tradition that stretches back to the fifth century?

Artificial Intelligence and the Arab Tradition

As AI continues to transform music creation, Arab music itself has long evolved through layers of cultural and technological exchange. From the Silk Road to the Ottoman Empire, music traditions were developed through movement, trade and adaptation. Today’s mahraganat, or Egyptian street music, emerged alongside synthesizers and global electronic dance influences.

At the core of these traditions lies the maqam system, the tonal backbone of Arab music. A maqam is built from scales, melodic phrases and intervals that carry distinct emotional qualities. Lebanese singer Fairuz sang her 1993 song Ya Rayt Mennon in maqam Bayati, one of the most widely used maqams in Arabic music, often associated with a sense of longing.

"Different performers often changed the maqam and melody of a qasida because what matters are the words and interaction on stage."

Many maqams use microtones — intervals smaller than a semitone. Unlike the 12-tone system in standard music, these smaller pitch variations allow for more fluid melodic expressions. Because the piano is arranged in semitones, with each adjacent pair of keys representing one, it has no key for a quarter tone. Such a pitch would lie between two keys, as if it were an imaginary one.

Fretless instruments such as the oud and rababa allow musicians to move between pitches, unlike standard tuning systems. Similar tonal systems also exist in parts of Asia, as well as in certain European traditions.

Wael ElMahallawy, professor and chair of the Department of the Arts who teaches music technology, qanun and Arab music theory at AUC, noted that music technologies once built on Western systems are increasingly incorporating Arabic maqams and rhythmic patterns such as the tabla percussion. He said this shift reflects growing regional interest.

AI companies are also expanding access to Arab music tools. On February 18, Google DeepMind released the Arabic beta of its Lyria 3 model, which generates short music clips — including customized Ramadan-themed ones — from text prompts.

“Last Ramadan, roughly 50 to 60 percent of TV music was created using AI software,” ElMahallawy said. In a Ramadan mini-series this year, he used AI for backing tracks while performing lead piano and qanun parts himself.

ElMahallawy described AI as a supporting tool rather than a replacement for musical knowledge, warning that without traditional grounding, “the Arab tradition will disappear” if music shifts entirely toward Western models.

Talking Technology

At AUC, ElMahallawy has used artificial intelligence to develop Dokan Bach, an archival project that transcribes difficult-to-find Arabic songs into sheet music. Much of the tradition has historically been preserved orally, from qasidas — epic laudatory poems first performed across the Arabian Peninsula — to renditions by 20th-century Arab music legends like Umm Kulthum.  
Before notation systems, qasidas evolved from public recitation into musical performance accompanied by instruments, forming the classic Arab ensemble, the takht.

Over 300 maqams exist across the Arab world, each with distinct traditions. Efforts to unify and document them culminated in the 1932 Cairo Congress of Arab Music, where scholars codified around 70 main maqams. Much of the music that followed remained undocumented.

"Relying on AI to learn the maqam system can make music repetitive over time and lead to a loss of all of your identity, flavor, culture and music."

For ElMahallawy, this is where AI becomes useful. “I use software to write music notation. Now I use Suno or Fader to split the stems so that I can isolate vocals,” he explained.
Within this tradition, improvisation is central. “Different performers often changed the maqam and melody of a qasida because what matters are the words and interaction on stage,” said Ashraf Fouad, adjunct faculty who teaches Music in the Arab Tradition at AUC.

This balance between structure and improvisation continues to influence Arab music today, including how it is being reshaped through digital tools and artificial intelligence. 
David Rafferty, associate professor of practice and director of AUC’s music program, said composers have historically been “early adopters of technology,” using it to expand sound possibilities rather than replace them.

Rafferty combines composition with programming to create complex real-time audiovisual systems where sound and visuals respond during performance. Built in coding environments like openFrameworks, the visuals shift in response to live sound manipulation.
The programming is complex, but the introduction of AI has significantly sped up the process. “It’s taken the rate at which I produce this and just — boom, done. I can implement projects faster now,” said Rafferty.

This approach extends into his teaching. In Generative Type Experiments, a weeklong exhibition at the Sharjah Art Gallery, students in the Creative Coding course in the interactive media design minor collaborated with those in Rafferty’s Music Technology class to produce interactive audiovisual works. Design students — taught by Jochen Braun, professor of practice and director of the graphic design program — developed typographic systems, while Music Technology students creating the accompanying sound.

"It’s taken the rate at which I produce this and just — boom, done. I can implement projects faster now."

In one installation Rafferty developed for the exhibition participants manipulated both sound and visuals in real time through phones, creating a responsive, interactive environment. “This is the kind of stuff that AI accelerates,” Rafferty said.

The Future

The impact of artificial intelligence is also a growing worry among students, Rafferty said. “I’m concerned about their future more than anything else because they’re concerned about their own opportunities,” he reflected.

Tolulope Balogun, a music production and recording arts junior at Elon University who is spending a semester abroad at AUC, is a multi-instrumentalist who also produces his own music. He sees AI as a sign of rapid technological progress and believes it will raise the bar for what counts as good music.

“Now you can’t make generic stuff because AI can do it,” he said. “Real artists are going to stand out. What they make is different, and AI cannot replicate that.”

Fouad said technology can enhance human capability when used correctly. “If AI can produce for you, fine, but it should be under your supervision. You have to challenge it. If you let AI lead you, then your mind is frozen,” he said.

ElMahallawy emphasized that AI cannot replace musical knowledge or tradition. “Relying on AI to learn the maqam system can make music repetitive over time and lead to a loss of all of your identity, flavor, culture and music,” he said.
 

In the soft shade of the olive trees in the AUC gardens, you can often find Laila Mamdouh reading, studying and taking in the fragrant flowers. Mamdouh is a long way from Boston, where she grew up, but studying at AUC has been an essential step in connecting her two worlds as an Egyptian American. Now a political science junior, she carries that sense of connection through everything she does, from her studies to her internships and cocurricular activities.

“As an Arab American, my identity is unique. I can fit into different communities and use my perspective to bridge them,” she explained. Mamdouh takes this perspective into all parts of her life in both Cairo and Boston, actively linking her two homes.

“I became a student ambassador so I could connect with everyone, from potential students to the Board of Trustees, and share my story."

Mamdouh’s journey began in high school, when she attended AUC’s summer boot camp. She quickly fell in love with not only the AUC campus but also the conversations she had with her Egyptian peers, realizing how much she wanted to connect with her roots. Attending AUC would help her achieve this goal. “I had a really strong belief that I was gonna get into AUC, so I booked my tickets before I even got my acceptance letter,” she said. 

When Mamdouh first arrived in Egypt, the pace and richness of what surrounded her made it difficult to focus on just one thing. Drawn to everything, she explored widely and ultimately narrowed down her choice of major to political science. Part of that decision was shaped by how distinct she found the field in the region. “There is a lot of consensus in the United States, especially where I grew up, whereas in Egypt, there is so much diversity of opinion. My eyes have been opened to so many possibilities that I wouldn’t see anywhere else in the world,” she said.
Through her coursework at AUC, Mamdouh has focused on Egyptian history, helping fill gaps in her understanding as someone raised abroad. “Studying in Egypt makes me feel like I’m in the hub of everything.”

Mamdouh brings her dual identity beyond the classroom and into her professional pursuits, interning at the digital publication Arab America, based in Washington, D.C., which covers Arab-American culture, history and politics. “I get to write about political science and identity from the lens of being both Egyptian and American,” she explained. She covers topics ranging from Egyptian-American relations to cultural identity. “I wrote one article about how I can crave Chipotle and shawarma at the same time. It's like a puzzle piece that doesn’t quite fit in the American or Arab puzzle, but that just means I get to be my own piece. There’s a beauty in that paradox.” 

"People think these worlds are opposed to each other, but there are more similarities in Egyptian and American cultures than you might think."

Mamdouh quickly embedded herself in campus life, leading tours, serving as director of student engagement at the Political Science Student Association and rising from student ambassador to program leader. “I became a student ambassador so I could connect with everyone, from potential students to the Board of Trustees, and share my story. I love giving tours and showing off my favorite parts of campus, which of course include the gardens.”

That instinct to connect extends beyond AUC’s walls, shaping how Mamdouh thinks about what comes next. “I would like to work at the International Court of Justice or in the United Nations so I can bridge those two worlds,” she said. For her, those worlds aren’t as distant as they might seem. “People think these worlds are opposed to each other, but there are more similarities in Egyptian and American cultures than you might think. I want to be in a position where I can make a meaningful difference for people.” 

Drawing on her experiences and passion, Mamdouh hopes to take hands-on roles, alongside leaders and pioneers, working at the intersection of her North-African Arab and American identities.

In the meantime, if you pass by the gardens on a sunny day, you might just find Mamdouh taking in the serenity of the waterfall, preparing for her next campus tour — and for a future spent bridging worlds through politics.