As AI reshapes everything around us, Qatar is doubling down on the vital role of core scientific disciplines—led by programs like Stars of Science—to make regional innovations achieve universal impact.
DOHA, Qatar, Sept. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Across Qatar and the Arab world, the race to harness artificial intelligence is heating up. Governments, universities, and startup incubators are aligning to transform the region into an AI hub. Yet amid this momentum, leading voices in science and technology are urging a return to fundamentals - especially as studies like MIT's reveal that students who relied on ChatGPT showed the lowest brain engagement and consistently underperformed compared to peers using search engines or no tools at all.
As the longest-serving juror on Stars of Science, Prof. Fouad Mrad returns in Season 17, bringing decades of expertise to the next generation of Arab innovators.
Dr. Ahmad Nabeel, acclaimed innovator and season 9 finalist, returns for the fourth time as a guest juror in Stars of Science Season 17, bringing his journey from innovator to mentor full circle.
Stars of Science alumnus Mohammed Al-Qassabi captures a celebratory moment with contestants during the casting of Stars of Science Season 17.
Nada Elkharashi, finalist on Stars of Science Season 16, working in the lab as she was refining her project during the development phase.
Watch Arab innovators take the stage in Season 17 of Stars of Science, competing for the title of Top Arab Innovator.
This vision is embodied by Stars of Science, now in its seventeenth season. The edutainment show captures the innovation journey of young Arab innovators who transform their ideas into real-world solutions rooted in scientific principles. Far from treating AI as a buzzword, the program emphasizes the importance of grounding breakthroughs in tested, data-backed experimentation, already generating 14 AI-powered innovations.
"AI is applied science at its core," said Prof. Fouad Mrad, one of the show's longest-serving jurors and its science advisor. "What you learned two years ago might already be outdated. But the basics? Those stay with you."
This belief is tightly woven into Qatar's broader agenda to build a diversified, knowledge-based economy. Under the Qatar National Vision 2030, the country continues to invest in scientific research and science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) education across all levels. Hamad Bin Khalifa University's launch of 'Fanar', an Arabic-language generative AI platform, empowers Arabic-speaking innovators to apply AI in ways grounded in science and context.
Even on the global stage, this view is taking hold. Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind and a 2024 Nobel laureate in Chemistry, recently emphasized that success in AI still depends on mastering fundamental disciplines like mathematics, physics, and biology. His reasoning is simple: AI is a powerful amplifier of knowledge, not a replacement for it.
This approach is already shaping the work of Stars of Science alumni who are showing that AI, when paired with scientific principles, can transform entire fields.
Dr. Ahmad Nabeel, the Kuwaiti finalist from Season 9, created 'Klens', a self-cleaning laparoscope that addresses a long-standing challenge in minimally invasive surgery: lens obstruction. The device uses predictive AI, trained on surgical data, to detect when fog or fluids may impair vision and trigger a cleaning mechanism before the view is compromised.
Rather than reinventing a solution, Nabeel's innovation builds on proven medical practices enhanced through AI. Today, he leads Gulf Medical Technologies. In 2024, his company partnered with Mayo Clinic to further develop and commercialize 'Klens'. Through this work, Nabeel exemplifies how AI becomes most impactful when it strengthens, not shortcuts, the scientific process.
This alignment of education, innovation, and mentorship is also visible in Qatar Foundation's wider ecosystem. Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), a global hub for deep tech with impact, and a member of Qatar Foundation, has continued to support Stars of Science and other startups, as part of its mission to create a future where technology and science positively impact humanity and the natural world. At Web Summit Qatar 2025, QSTP launched programs like the Shell.ai Futures Pitch to support AI-focused sustainability ventures, reinforcing the country's commitment to science-backed innovation.
Looking ahead, Mrad believes that future success in AI across the Arab world will be defined by those who use scientific fundamentals as their springboard.
"The most impactful ideas we see are those that fuse AI with deep domain knowledge," he said. "In the coming seasons, I expect even more projects that don't just use AI but elevate it through science."
By investing in education, building AI tools, and celebrating innovators who use AI responsibly, Qatar is not only keeping pace with global change - it is helping define it.
To follow the contestants' journeys as they build impactful AI on Stars of Science, find the latest broadcast details on starsofscience.com.
About Stars of Science:
Throughout 17 years of success, Stars of Science – the edutainment TV initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF) – has leveraged its position as the premier innovation show in the Arab world to empower Arab innovators to successfully transform innovative ideas into tangible solutions, strengthening the culture of innovation among Arab youth. In its sustained journey that started in 2009, the show has demonstrated how young Arab innovators develop technological solutions for their communities, aiming to improve people's well-being, provide financial opportunities to their local citizens, and advance sustainable development.
Over a 12-week process, the contestants develop their solutions experimentally in a shared innovation space, competing against time with the mentorship and support of a team of experienced engineers and product developers.
An expert panel of jurors assesses and selects more promising innovators and their projects every week across several prototyping and testing rounds until three finalists remain to compete for a share of the Grand Prize. Jury deliberation and online voting from the public determine the rankings of the two top winners.
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