Today we had our site visit outside of the Old Medina in Rabat. We visited the Rabat Technopark, where we had our discussion about social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship is defined as the practice of building mission driven businesses to solve societal and environmental challenges. While traditional businesses measure success primarily through profit, social enterprises reinvests their earnings to generate social change in areas like poverty, education, or sustainability. Both presenters from the Technopark in Rabat seemed enthusiastic about their work, and excited to teach our group about the impact their making. I also found it interesting how they both said in their future they can see themselves moving away from the city, and starting a farm. I wondered if this was a common practice for younger people born or living in cities to move out to the rural parts of Morocco in later years.

^^ A photo of the beautiful henna we had done at the CCCL

I have already begun using AI in ways that I find genuinely beneficial, particularly in academics. One tool I use frequently is Mistral AI because it is good for complex reasoning and accuracy, a very helpful tool when brainstorming in business classes. For me, AI works best as a tool that supports learning, organization, and comprehension rather than something that replaces the effort required to truly understand the material.

The most thought-provoking part of the discussion for me was the conversation surrounding creativity and AI. This is also the area where I feel the most uncertain of the future, especially in arts and sciences. While AI is capable of producing impressive results very quickly, I think there is a risk that it could negatively influence the creative process if people become too dependent on it. Creativity and art are deeply personal and subjective, and I do not think creativity should simply be outsourced to AI for people who do not view themselves as artistic. Often, the most meaningful art is imperfect because those imperfections reflect individuality, effort, and genuine human experience. Sometimes work that feels overly polished or artificially “perfect” can come across as lacking emotion or authenticity. This can already be seen in AI artwork made for advertisements and content on social media. It feels impersonal and lacks a story. The flaws, mistakes, and unique details within creative work are often what make it memorable and human. If AI shifts from being a helpful creative tool to becoming a replacement for creativity itself, I think we risk losing an important part of human expression and connection.