AMMAN - HE Dr. Talal
Abu-Ghazaleh, Honorary President of the Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization
(CSU), participated in the CSU’s 2026 Annual Awards Gala opening ceremony
scheduled held in New York City via a Digital Twin; an avatar generated by
artificial intelligence (AI) that replicates his image and voice, in an
innovative experience combining institutional presence with cutting-edge
technology.
Pursuant to Dr.
Abu-Ghazaleh’s directives, the Artificial Intelligence Department at Talal
Abu-Ghazaleh Global Digital (TAG.GD) developed his speech using AI-driven
digital technology, while explicitly emphasizing from the outset that the
speaker before the audience is Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh’s digital counterpart,
delivering words prepared directly by him.
In his speech, Dr.
Abu-Ghazaleh said: “What you see tonight is not Talal Abu-Ghazaleh in person,
but my AI-generated digital twin, produced by our team at TAG.GD to convey my
words exactly as I wrote them. The image before you is artificial, but the
words, gratitude, and commitment are entirely mine”.
“I apologize for not
being able to stand among you this evening, but over half a century of building
institutions around the world, I have learned that distance is an excuse, not a
reason. Therefore, let this avatar be my ambassador to you, and let these words
mark my presence among you”, he added.
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh
further tackled the future of cities and their role in confronting global
challenges, in addition to issues of climate, justice, and human dignity, which largely affect urban
environments. “The battels over climate, justice, and dignity will not be
settled in conference halls, but in our streets, homes, schools, and minds”, he
asserted.
Recalling his tenure as Vice Chairman of the UN Global
Compact, alongside former UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh referred
to several predictions he made at the time concerning the growing role of
technology, all of which were subsequently proven by subsequent developments.
In this context, Dr.
Abu-Ghazaleh presented his latest prediction: that the coming decade will be
the decade of “Sustainable Smart City”; a city capable of learning and
utilizing data and technology to improve the lives of its residents, while
stressing that technology must remain at the service of humanity, rather than its
competitor.
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh
concluded his address by reaffirming the unwavering commitment of TAG.GD to establish
partnerships in the fields of knowledge, education, and building the cities of
the future.