Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy, the inaugural Dubai AI & Web3 Festival will take place from 11-12 September at Madinat Jumeirah.
The groundbreaking event is being organised by the Dubai AI Campus, which is a DIFC initiative, and will be the premier event aimed at reinforcing Dubai’s position as a pioneer in the global digital economy space and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan said that Dubai hosting the landmark event reflects the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to further elevate Dubai’s stature as a global capital for the digital economy and as a technology and innovation pathbreaker in the region. Sheikh Hamdan emphasised Dubai’s determination to contribute significantly as a leading global partner in identifying and adopting innovative solutions backed up by advanced technology to support comprehensive and sustainable development efforts across various sectors.
His Highness said: “Artificial intelligence is revolutionising the field of technology and promises to play a major role in reimagining the future and driving economic development. In the context of a rapidly changing digital landscape and the unprecedented challenges it heralds for global economies, it has become imperative to explore all possible avenues to harness AI, which has emerged as a major driver in opening new horizons for growth, enhancing productivity, and advancing comprehensive development.”
Sheikh Hamdan added: “The festival strengthens Dubai’s standing as a torchbearer of AI excellence globally and as a technology and innovation pioneer that other cities and countries look up to. We have directed for efforts to be redoubled to position the event among the world’s most important AI showcases within the next three years.”
Preparations are well underway for the first edition, which will welcome over 5,000 of the sharpest tech minds, decision-makers, industry leaders, and innovators from around the world to explore and expand the commercial possibilities of AI. Additionally, 500 investors and 100 exhibitors from over 100 countries are expected to attend.
Key themes
The two-day agenda for the event has been shaped through a series of FutureTech Dialogues roundtable discussions attended by key technology leaders, investors and regulators. The festival’s overarching themes are ‘Enabling Digital Economies’ and ‘Powering Innovation,’ with headline sessions focussed on the role of AI in shaping the global economic landscape, the future of generative AI, funding trends, and the benefits of AI for both public and private sectors.
Among the speakers would be leading names from more than 20 global unicorns including Builder.ai, Cohesity, Cerebras Systems, Innovacer and SambaNova Systems. Twenty government ministries and agencies are already signed up to participate in the event, along with 20 world-renowned enterprises and 20 top venture capital companies.
His Excellency Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC, commented: “Dubai continues to recognise the importance of innovation to cement its reputation as one of the world’s leading technology hubs. The Dubai AI & Web3 Festival will demonstrate how AI technology is quickly becoming a significant disruptor of traditional services and illustrate how DIFC and the Dubai AI Campus are the powerhouses that are helping Dubai emerge as a leading authority on driving global adoption.”
Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer, DIFC Authority said: “The Dubai AI & Web3 Festival is the second initiative spearheaded by DIFC for the Dubai Universal Footprint for Artificial Intelligence, showing how the Centre is at the forefront AI innovation. The high levels of interest in both the Dubai AI & Web3 Festival and the Dubai AI Campus shows how the AI community is turning to Dubai to set the standard for innovation in this rapidly developing sector.”
Industry leaders at the FutureTech Dialogues also took part in signing ceremonies, pledging their support for the festival, and committing to collaboration that delivers tangible solutions. These included Al Fardan Exchange, Dubai Chambers, Holon and HP.
Big chance for startups
The festival will also feature the FutureTech World Cup, designed to showcase ground-breaking AI solutions and cement Dubai’s position as the new epicentre of NextGen tech evolution. The FutureTech World Cup is a start-up pitch competition hosted by Dubai AI Campus and organised by the Dubai AI & Web3 Festival and Trescon.
Qualifying rounds took place during the FutureTech Dialogues sessions, with Momint, Nettle, s.r.o. and Orbii AI being declared as the first start-ups making it through to the FutureTech World Cup finals. Nash fintechX, PLATMA, and Secure Blink came out on top in the second qualifying round.
Besides pitching in front of a global cohort of investors, the winner of this start-up pitch competition will receive licensing support from the Dubai AI Campus, besides gaining access to mentorship from industry experts, global brand exposure, industry recognition, and a pathway to success through strategic partnerships.
In addition to the Dubai AI Campus, the Dubai AI & Web3 Festival is the second initiative spearheaded by DIFC for the Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence (DUB.AI), which was recently launched with the aim of accelerating AI adoption across all relevant sectors. In the coming years, the festival aims to increase its attendance to over 30,000 delegates annually.
For more information, please visit: dubaiaiweb3festival.com.
