Students explore AI creativity at SIBF 2025

November 08, 2025 / 5:13 PM

Sharjah 24: At the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), young learners discovered how technology can fuel imagination through a workshop titled “Writing Comic Strips with AI.” The session introduced children — some as young as four — to the creative potential of Artificial Intelligence in storytelling.

Learning to co-create with technology

Facilitator Ritin Nair explained that the goal was to help children see AI as a creative partner rather than a replacement. “We want kids to see that technology can expand their imagination — not limit it,” he said.

Fun for all ages

For younger participants like 4-year-old Abigail, the workshop focused on colouring and exploring shapes. “I loved to colour the cartoons,” she said. Older children learned how to use AI prompts to generate ideas, dialogues, and storylines, filling comic panels and refining them with AI suggestions.

Young creators build futuristic worlds

Brothers Nabil (14) and Yunis (12) from the Victoria International School of Sharjah collaborated on a comic about a multilingual superhero. “AI helped us come up with new ideas for how he could use that power,” said Nabil. Yunis added, “It was fun because I didn’t know a computer could help write jokes.”

Creativity thrives at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair

Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) under the theme “Between You and a Book,” this year’s fair features more than 750 workshops on creative writing, translation, and screenwriting — part of a broader programme of over 1,200 cultural and artistic events for children and adults alike.