Al Jazeera to reinvent journalism for the digital age: Director general

Journalism has acquired a renewed importance at a time technology guided by algorithmic systems has “fuelled new forms of polarisation”, the Al Jazeera Media Network’s director general says, adding that the Doha-based network aims to review its role and purpose in the digital age.

“Algorithmic systems, attention-based economic models and instant interaction have fuelled new forms of polarisation and deepened division instead of dialogue. They have built echo chambers where people live cut off from other narratives and from the true complexity of the world,” Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al Thani said at the Web Summit Qatar 2026 on Tuesday.

Journalism, the Al Jazeera director general, said, is “not an alternative to technology, or in opposition to it, but rather a valuable force capable of adding context to events, connecting diverse voices and revealing the human stories behind the news”.

“The evolution of journalism cannot be separated from profound changes driven by digital platforms and artificial intelligence within the public sphere,” he said.

But he called on the global technology sector to fundamentally rethink the design of digital platforms, warning that algorithmic models prioritising “shock” and “outrage” are eroding shared human understanding.

Sheikh Nasser argued that humanity has entered an era in which the challenge is no longer accessing information but making sense of its “overabundance”.

Addressing a packed audience at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, Sheikh Nasser cautioned that while technology has democratised storytelling, it has also given rise to “troubling realities” in which attention-based economic models deepen division instead of fostering dialogue.

“Many are now surrounded by cascades of content, yet they feel more isolated, more alienated,” Sheikh Nasser said. He warned that current digital systems often “flatten complex truths into harsh binary choices”, creating fragmented worlds where “disagreements never meet”.

The ‘Core Project’

Amid fast-paced technological changes, such as artificial intelligence, Al Jazeera has embarked on a comprehensive initiative called the “Core Project” to review its role, responsibility and purpose in the digital age.

Describing it as a “re-evaluation of the fundamental ideas that underpin our journalism” rather than just a technical upgrade, Sheikh Nasser outlined a strategy to combine technology with “ethical and professional responsibility”.

“We plan to combine technology with ethical and professional responsibility to give journalists the tools to provide context, to report responsibly on breaking news, to separate facts from biases and to maximise the power of objective analysis and understanding,” he said.

The initiative aims to automate repetitive tasks to free up journalists for high-value analysis centred on three guiding principles: the “Now”, “Meaning or Context”, and “People”.

“The ‘Now’ alone cannot guide us,” he noted, explaining that while speed and accuracy are vital, journalism must provide the “Meaning” by linking events to their root causes.

Most critically, he redefined the audience not as passive consumers or data points but as “conscious actors” capable of engaging responsibly with the world.

“Resilient journalism – swift but not shallow, modern without abandoning its values – can restore context to the news, create space for debate and a human dimension to disagreements,” Sheikh Nasser said.

The director general concluded with a direct appeal to the tech leaders and innovators gathered in Doha, calling for a partnership in which “responsible journalism meets ethical technology”.

“The challenge we face today is not a battle between journalism and technology,” Sheikh Nasser said. “It is rather an opportunity to align them through shared responsibility, … to bridge divides and empower a world capable of dialogue.”

Summit’s third edition

The event in the Qatari capital opened on Saturday with Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of the Qatar Foundation, challenging the conventional narrative of technological progress.

She criticised the “selectively told story of modern technology” that traces innovation solely from the European industrial revolution to Silicon Valley.

“Too often we talk about technology as if innovation has a single geography, a single language, a single image. But the story is incomplete. The very word algorithm comes from Al-Khwarizmi,” she said, referencing the ninth-century Persian mathematician.

“We were there at the foundations of knowledge, and we are here shaping its future.”

The summit’s opening also was marked by major announcements from Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, including the launch of QAI, Qatar’s national artificial intelligence company, and a $2bn expansion of the Qatar Investment Authority’s Fund of Funds programme for venture capital.

“We meet at a moment when innovation is the world’s most valuable currency,” Sheikh Mohammed said. “In Qatar, we do not want to simply watch the future arrive. We want to shape it alongside partners from around the world.”

The third edition of the Web Summit Qatar has drawn more than 1,600 start-ups, more than 800 investors and 400 speakers.

The event also has attracted a diverse array of international figures, including Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin, former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, musician and podcast host Questlove, and activist and former American football player Colin Kaepernick.

Pedro Lopes, Cabo Verde’s secretary of state for digital economy, praised Qatar’s hosting of the summit. “The Qataris should be proud of this event,” he said on a panel alongside Lebanon’s information minister, Paul Morcos.