AlUla to Host First 'Instagram Creators Summit' in MENA

Throughout the summit, content creators will experience AlUla's natural beauty and rich legacy. SPA
Throughout the summit, content creators will experience AlUla's natural beauty and rich legacy. SPA
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AlUla to Host First 'Instagram Creators Summit' in MENA

Throughout the summit, content creators will experience AlUla's natural beauty and rich legacy. SPA
Throughout the summit, content creators will experience AlUla's natural beauty and rich legacy. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s AlUla is set to host the first-ever “Instagram Creators Summit” in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) next week.

The event will take place on April 20-22, organized by Meta in partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla, and in collaboration with the Saudi Tourism Authority and Riyadh Air.

The groundbreaking summit is the first of its kind in the region and will bring together leading content creators from around the world. The agenda includes interactive panel discussions, keynote speeches, and conversations about the future of content creation, covering topics such as social media, artificial intelligence, and the evolving digital landscape.
These creators collectively reach over 231 million followers worldwide, highlighting the growing importance of influencer marketing in today’s travel destinations.
Interactive dialogues will allow participants to engage directly with Meta’s product managers, while open forums will encourage the sharing of expertise and the building of strong collaborations among creators.
This summit presents an exceptional opportunity to gain insights, connect with industry leaders, and stay at the forefront of the ever-changing digital scene.
AlUla will also showcase its unique vision of blending cultural heritage preservation with digital innovation through discussions on safeguarding cultural identity amid rapid digital transformation. AlUla continues to demonstrate its unique ability to evolve while remaining rooted in its past—a city renewed through time, where heritage and innovation progress together.
Throughout the summit, content creators will experience AlUla's natural beauty and rich legacy, spanning over 200,000 years of human history and 7,000 years of continuous civilizations. Participants will also explore iconic archaeological landmarks such as Hegra, the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia, AlUla Old Town, and Madrasat Addeera—a hub for crafts, culture, and creativity in the AlJadidah Arts District.



Google Hopes to Reach Gemini Deal with Apple this Year

FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
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Google Hopes to Reach Gemini Deal with Apple this Year

FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo

Google hopes to enter an agreement with Apple by the middle of this year to include its Gemini AI technology on new phones, CEO Sundar Pichai said in testimony at an antitrust trial in Washington on Wednesday.
Pichai testified in the Alphabet unit's defense against proposals by the US Department of Justice which include ending lucrative deals with Apple, Samsung, AT&T and Verizon to be the default search engine on new mobile devices, Reuters reported.
During questioning by DOJ attorney Veronica Onyema, Pichai said that while Google does not yet have an agreement with Apple to include its Gemini AI on iPhones, Pichai spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook about the possibility last year.
A potential deal this year would see Google's Gemini AI included within Apple Intelligence, Apple's own set of AI features, Pichai said.
Google also plans to experiment with including ads in its Gemini app, Pichai said.
Prosecutors have sought to illustrate how Google could extend its dominance in online search to AI. Google maintained its monopoly in part by paying billions of dollars to wireless carriers and smartphone manufacturers, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled last year.
The judge is now weighing what actions Google should take to restore competition. The outcome of the case could fundamentally reshape the internet by potentially unseating Google as the go-to portal for information online.
The DOJ and a broad coalition of state attorneys general are pressing for remedies including requiring Google to sell off its Chrome web browser, banning it from paying to be the default search engine and requiring it to share search data with competitors.
The data-sharing provisions would discourage Google from investing in research and development, Pichai testified on Wednesday.
Provisions that would require the company to share its search index and search query data are "extraordinary," and amount to a "defacto divestiture of our IP related to search," Pichai said.
"It would be trivial to reverse engineer and effectively build Google search from the outside," he said.
That would make it "unviable to invest in R&D the way we have for the past two decades," Pichai added.
Google has said it plans to appeal once the judge makes a final ruling.