Khalfan Belhoul on Dubai's Future: AI, Innovation, and the Vision Behind the Museum of the Future

Khaleej Times

10-03-2025

HE Khalfan Belhoul grew up dreaming of becoming a footballer, holding the World Cup, but it was not his path.
The young futurist who credits sport with teaching him skills such as team work and leadership, is just 46-years-old, and is now the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), which was established in 2017.
'I remember how this [Dubai Future] foundation was formed and it shows you how visionary Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid is', he said.
At the World Government Summit, there was a small setup known as 'the Museum of the Future' at the time, made up of a few people from the Prime Minister's office, with the idea of discussing challenges of the future, food, robotics, and AI.
'It took his highness one visit and the message was, this conversation should not be confined to a set group of people, we need to spread it to the world,' HE Belhoul said.
And so the seeds of the institution were planted. 'We couldn't benchmark around the world as this was something new,' but he and the team were given free reins to build it and today, the museum sells out daily at least a month in advance.
While the UAE has been the first country to have a dedicated Minister of AI, the future is still human, said HE Belhoul, who says talent is the way of the future as the UAE continues to attract some of the world's best minds across multiple sectors.
'Everything is driven by human capital, because human capital will be coming up with those great ideas,' he said, in spite of the fact that AI is playing a key role in the UAE's strategy.
The DFF Is currently investing heavily in understanding the needs and mega-trends of the future. The annual Dubai Future Forum is a key part of that where the world's best thinkers come from around the world bringing ideas which seem like science fiction and turning them into reality.
And the museum is no different. Its curators are constantly challenged to visualise a future which is beyond our imaginations.
'We have jokes when we speak about conventional museums, which are amazing, whether we talk about the Louvre in Abu Dhabi or many other museums, fantastic museums. But I always say, jokingly, with different museum owners, that the experiences in those museums appreciate with time, [and so] they don't have as big as the challenges we do,' he said.
'So whatever is worth X today in a conventional museum appreciates in time, because it gets older, so it becomes more valuable. In a futuristic museum, whatever is futuristic today can become obsolete in two or three weeks or months so we need to constantly become future relevant.'
The iconic structure which has become one of the country's most photographed piece of architecture, 'it became like a box ticker in Dubai', with more than 4,000 visitors on a daily basis. 'A connection between our foresight and where the future is going,' he explained.
Keeping the museum relevant is critical to its survival. 'We are looking at the next phase of the museum to make sure the content is always future relevant,' he said, as curators constantly balance the long-term future and near future aspects of the interactive exhibition.
But as HE Belhoul weighs the future, he also acknowledges that the future can also evoke fears for many, with the infiltration of the likes of AI and robots into our lives.
Visualising the UAE in 50 years' time, he told Khaleej Times automation is the way forward. 'You'll definitely see more robots. You'll definitely see more drones. You'll definitely see more autonomous mobility. Fifty years from now, that is for sure, you'll see a lot of automation happening,' he said.
However, while many may be afraid, the input of human capital will be as relevant as ever. 'For me, the message is always that history has proven that humanity will always adapt and prevail. The only thing now is that this change is just much bigger and faster, and that's why people are maybe a bit concerned.
'And the notion of AI and robots maybe instills this fear in them … If you look at an aircraft and you speak to someone 100 years before the invention of an aircraft, and you tell them, listen, you'll be 30,000 feet above ground, they would think you're crazy. I still think it's crazy.'
No matter what the future holds, the young futurist says that it will all be 'a natural adaptation process … and it's only the beginning'.