Moon Baz is Meta's Director of Global Partnerships for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey. With more than 18 years of experience at the intersection of media, technology, and digital content, she works with publishers, creators, public figures, and experts to help them grow their audiences and make the most of Meta's platforms.
At Meta, Baz leads partnerships across video and content and contributes to the development of the region's creator ecosystem. Before joining the company, she advised Deezer MENA, Vue International, and GCAM Saudi Arabia, and worked on the development of online platforms, VOD services, mobile products, and content distribution at MBC Group. She also previously served as a consultant at Booz & Company. Baz holds degrees in economics and financial economics from the American University of Beirut.
In an exclusive interview with WE Magazine, Moon Baz discusses how artificial intelligence is reshaping the work of the next generation of creators in the MENA region, helping them overcome language and production barriers while raising new questions about authenticity, professional skills, and monetization.
Who Is AI Really Opening Doors For?
Before AI, producing high-quality content often required a videographer, video editor, designer, translator, and analyst working together. Today, many of these tasks can be delegated to or automated with AI at a fraction of the cost.
Is it now realistic for one person to handle the entire content creation process with AI and operate without a full team?
Absolutely, and this is one of the most exciting shifts I have seen in this role. We have worked with creators who, just a few years ago, would have needed a small team to take an idea from concept to publication. Today, a single creator can do much of that independently. Tools like Edits help simplify the production process, from organizing footage and refining edits to creating polished content more efficiently, while AI-powered features such as translation and dubbing are helping creators reach audiences beyond a single language for the first time.
What is particularly exciting is that these tools allow creators to spend less time navigating technical hurdles and more time focusing on what makes them unique-their ideas, expertise, and connection with their communities. We've seen creators experiment with new formats, publish more consistently, and engage audiences they may never have reached before.
Of course, technology is only one part of the equation. Success still depends on factors such as creativity, consistency, and a willingness to keep learning. But AI is making the path to creation more accessible than ever, giving many more people the opportunity to participate, grow an audience, and build something meaningful around their passion or expertise.
Even with accessible AI tools, what do emerging creators in MENA still need in order to turn content creation into a sustainable career? Is knowing how to use AI enough on its own?
While AI is helping remove many of the technical barriers to content creation, one of the biggest opportunities for emerging creators today is developing the skills needed to build a sustainable presence and business around their content.
One area where creators can continue to unlock value is through a deeper understanding of their audience. Features like Trial Reels allow creators to test content, gather insights, and learn what resonates before sharing more broadly. While AI can help streamline production, it's a creator's ability to interpret those insights, understand their community, and refine their approach over time that often drives long-term growth.
We're also seeing more creators think about the professional side of the industry earlier in their journey. Practical considerations such as understanding local Media Council permits, navigating brand partnerships, and developing a clear value proposition are becoming increasingly important as creators turn their passion into sustainable businesses.
Another encouraging trend is the rise of specialized creators. There is sometimes a perception that the creator economy is becoming overcrowded, but what we're seeing across the region is growing demand for trusted voices with deep expertise and authentic perspectives. Whether it's finance, health, education, technology, or entrepreneurship, audiences are increasingly seeking creators who can help them learn, make informed decisions, and engage with topics that matter to them.
Ultimately, AI is helping lower the barriers to creation. The creators who are most successful will be those who combine these new tools with a strong understanding of their audience, a clear area of expertise, and a long-term vision for the community and business they want to build.
What kind of post-training support actually helps creators achieve long-term success?
Training is a wonderful starting point, but what truly helps creators thrive over the long term is sustained engagement and continuity. That means staying connected to a supportive peer community, having direct access to platform insights, and continually exploring new tools, formats, and emerging trends together.
That is why our approach extends far beyond one-off training sessions. We regularly host hands-on workshops and dedicated one-on-one sessions with creators to dive into their unique goals, provide tailored strategic guidance, and help them navigate platform updates in real time. Alongside this, we collaborate closely with partners like Creators HQ to build vibrant, ongoing spaces where creators can connect, share learnings, and collaborate.
As the digital landscape evolves, having both personalized platform support and an active community around that journey makes a meaningful difference in helping creators build confident, enduring careers.
How to Use AI Without Losing Your Own Voice
During the discussion at WE Convention, participants linked commercial success to audience trust, a distinctive personal voice, and a willingness to show more than just the polished side of life.
Today, AI can suggest a script, headline, visual style, and even a tone of delivery. But how can creators tell whether technology is helping them strengthen their own voice-or gradually making their content indistinguishable from everyone else's?
This comes back to a simple test I encourage creators to apply: does this still sound like me? AI is genuinely useful for speeding up the parts of the process that used to eat up time, like early drafts or visual concepts. But the moment a creator starts publishing something that could have come from anyone, they have lost the thing that actually makes their audience trust them.
The signals that tell us content is resonating-things like watch time, saves, and direct-message shares-are almost always tied to a creator's authentic point of view. Audiences can tell the difference between content that genuinely reflects a creator's personality and content that has been smoothed over into something generic. That instinct from the audience is one of the best checks we have.
Can you share examples of creators who have managed to preserve their personal style while working with AI?
Absolutely, and some of the most compelling examples come from creators who treat AI as a creative partner rather than a replacement for their authentic voice. With Meta AI expanding support for Arabic, we are seeing regional creators use these tools to streamline ideation and production while continuing to infuse their distinct humor, cultural nuances, and localized storytelling into every piece.
A great example is our recent work with creators like Yara Bou Monsef and Amr Maskoun. Both have distinctive comedic styles and character-driven formats that their audiences know and love. In their Meta AI collaborations, they used the tool as an interactive springboard, generating playful scenarios and creative prompts while keeping their signature delivery, relatable cultural references, and personal charm front and center.
Audiences in the MENA region have a sharp eye for cultural authenticity; they connect deeply with content that reflects their lived experiences and local dialects. Creators who find that balance-leveraging AI to handle the heavy lifting behind the scenes while letting their individuality shine on camera-are the ones building the most loyal and engaged communities.
Can AI Give Local Creators Access to a Global Audience?
AI-powered translation, dubbing, and video adaptation help creators reach audiences beyond a single language. For creators in MENA, this may provide access to people who previously could not understand Arabic or local dialects.
What changes when creators in MENA can make their content understandable to global audiences almost instantly?
This is genuinely one of the most exciting shifts we are seeing! For a long time, language was one of the biggest ceilings on a creator's growth in this region. A creator could build something wonderful in Arabic or in a local dialect, and it would simply never reach audiences beyond that language, no matter how strong the content was.
AI-powered translation and dubbing change that equation. It means a creator in Riyadh or Cairo can build a genuinely local, culturally specific piece of content and still have a real shot at being understood by someone in Jakarta or São Paulo almost instantly. That does not mean every piece of content should be built for a global audience. But it means the option now exists in a way it simply did not a few years ago, and that is a meaningful expansion of opportunity for creators here.
What excites me most is that this does not require creators to change who they are or water down their content to be understood. The technology does the translating. The creator gets to stay exactly as local and as specific as they want to be, and still be understood.
The Most Important Creative Skill
AI makes it possible to produce dozens of scripts, visual concepts, and versions of the same piece of content within a short period. But having a large number of options does not necessarily help creators. Sometimes, it makes decision-making more difficult and encourages them to publish more without understanding which idea truly deserves attention.
When AI can generate an almost unlimited number of options, which human creative skill becomes most valuable?
This is where I think the creator's judgment becomes more valuable, not less. When AI can generate dozens of scripts or visual directions in minutes, the real skill is knowing which one is actually worth pursuing. That is not a technical skill; it is an editorial one, and it comes from understanding your community deeply enough to know what will genuinely resonate versus what will just perform for a moment.
This connects back to the audience insights and testing tools I highlighted earlier. We often tell emerging creators to focus less on volume and more on relevance. Being discoverable within a niche, and being intentional about what you publish, matters far more than churning out content simply because AI makes it easy to do so.
If a creator wants to expand into something new or test a completely different direction, it is always worth directly asking their community. Audiences appreciate being part of that evolution, and they will be honest about what they connect with most.
Which Skills Will Creators Need Beyond the Ability to Use AI?
Basic AI tools are becoming increasingly easy to use, which means technical proficiency alone is quickly becoming less of a competitive advantage.
Beyond technical AI skills, which human skills will matter most for the next generation of creators?
Technical proficiency with AI tools is quickly becoming table stakes, so the skills that will actually differentiate the next generation of creators are things like storytelling, community building, and business literacy. Knowing how to build genuine trust with an audience, rather than just reach, is what turns a following into something sustainable.
This ties into something I have said before. Confidence is a skill in itself. Encouraging emerging creators to embrace new tools and genuinely own their digital presence is just as important as any technical training we could offer. The tools will keep evolving. The confidence to use them boldly and authentically is what lasts.
What would you add to a creator support program today that would not have been a priority a few years ago?
A few years ago, our programs focused almost entirely on production skills: how to film, how to edit, how to grow an audience. Today, I would add three key pillars.
First, practical AI literacy. We now have a comprehensive suite of Meta AI tools that simply did not exist a few years ago. Teaching creators how to understand and use these tools efficiently helps streamline their workflows, unlock new creative possibilities, and make their overall journey much easier.
Second, genuine business literacy, helping creators understand things like brand partnerships, permits, and how to actually treat this as a sustainable business rather than a hobby.
Third, I would add more focus on the creator's own well-being as they navigate building a public presence-things like managing feedback, protecting their time, and building a sustainable relationship with their audience rather than an exhausting one. As more people build careers publicly, and often at a younger age, making sure the environment around them feels genuinely supportive, and not just professionally useful, matters more than it used to.
From Traditional Media to Meta
Before joining Meta, you worked in television, VOD, and digital media projects, contributed to the development of Shahid, led SuperMama, and advised companies on strategy. You witnessed the transition from an industry in which access to audiences was controlled by major media companies to a system in which an individual can become a channel, a brand, and a business.
Coming from traditional media, which assumption about what it takes to become a successful creator has changed most for you?
Coming from traditional media, I used to assume that building an audience required infrastructure-a studio, a distribution deal, a team behind you. What has genuinely surprised me as I entered this space is watching individual creators build audiences, brands, and businesses entirely on their own, and at an incredible speed, often faster and more authentically than a traditional media company could.
What has not changed is my belief that anyone can build this kind of platform if they approach it with the right mindset. That is really the message I try to reinforce with young creators and young women in this region especially: you do not need permission or a traditional pedigree to build something meaningful. You need confidence, consistency, and a genuine point of view.
