Hamdan bin Mohammed Announces Return of Dubai AI Week in April 2026 with Expanded Scale and Global Participation
Dubai reaffirmed its commitment to becoming a global hub for artificial intelligence, with H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announcing major plans to expand AI initiatives following the success of Dubai AI Week 2025.
Speaking at the closing of the event, Sheikh Hamdan emphasized the need to accelerate AI adoption across all sectors to unlock new opportunities, empower talent, and solidify Dubai's leadership in innovation. He confirmed that the next Dubai AI Week will take place in April 2026, doubling its scale with 20 events and broader global participation.
Dubai AI Week 2025, organized by the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence under the Dubai Future Foundation, attracted over 30,000 participants from more than 100 countries. The week featured 10 major events, 250 sessions, and the launch of over 30 new initiatives, partnerships, and agreements between government bodies, private sector players, investors, and startups.
Top global tech companies including Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and NVIDIA took part, alongside 60 startups and 20 universities. Highlights included the Global Prompt Engineering Championship, AI Week in Schools reaching over 10,000 students, and major announcements like du's AED2 billion data centre project with Microsoft.
Sheikh Hamdan stressed that Dubai's future readiness rests on embedding AI across education, research, and governance while fostering an ecosystem capable of nurturing billion-dollar AI ventures. His remarks reflected a wider vision to position Dubai at the forefront of the global AI landscape, supported by advanced digital infrastructure, agile regulation, and a strong focus on responsible innovation.
The event also showcased new strategies from key entities such as the Roads and Transport Authority's AI Strategy 2030 and the launch of Dubai's State of AI Report, signaling a unified push across sectors to drive AI-led growth and transformation.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
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