The second edition of the Dubai AI Festival, a cornerstone of the inaugural Dubai AI Week, illuminated Madinat Jumeirah from April 23-24, 2025, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. Attracting over 10,000 industry experts, 500+ investors, and innovators from more than 100 countries, the festival solidified Dubai’s position as a global hub for artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, fostering collaboration and showcasing cutting-edge advancements under the theme “Enabling Digital Economies.”
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum emphasized the festival’s role in advancing Dubai’s ambitious AI agenda: “Dubai AI Festival stands as a testament to our vision of positioning Dubai as a global leader in artificial intelligence innovation. The Festival reflects our unwavering commitment to fostering an environment where creativity, collaboration, and cutting-edge technology converge to shape a brighter future for all.” He added, “Our pursuit of excellence in AI transcends technological advancement; it encompasses harnessing the transformative power of AI to drive economic growth, improve quality of life, and create new opportunities for our people.”
Organized by the Dubai AI Campus—a Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) initiative—in partnership with the Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications Office, the festival highlighted Dubai’s thriving AI ecosystem, which hosts over 800 AI companies, 66% of which have chosen the city as their global headquarters. The event aligned with the Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence, supporting the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to enhance quality of life and economic growth through AI.
Sheikh Hamdan’s visit began with a tour of the exhibition area, starting at the Dubai AI Campus pavilion, which displayed state-of-the-art AI solutions and underscored Dubai’s commitment to global AI leadership. He observed a Google Cloud workshop on generative AI essentials for startups, highlighting practical tools for emerging businesses. The tour continued at the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation (SIEF) pavilion, showcasing Chinese startups and fostering potential collaborations, followed by the South Korea pavilion, which spotlighted technological advancements and entrepreneurial innovation from South Korean firms.
The exhibition also featured the FutureTech World Cup, where top AI startups pitched to investors, and the Global FutureTech Innovation Programme, identifying young talent tackling real-world challenges with AI. These initiatives underscored the festival’s role as a catalyst for investment and innovation.
With over 100 speakers from leading global organizations, the festival hosted more than 40 sessions, 30+ roundtables, and workshops, diving into critical themes: AI governance, ethics, investment, and real-world applications. Day 1 panels explored AI’s transformative impact across finance, healthcare, transportation, and space exploration, emphasizing its potential to democratize access and drive economic growth. Discussions on “AI for All” highlighted strategies to create inclusive, intelligent customer experiences and achieve ambitious digital goals.
Prominent speakers included Dr. Werner Vogels (Global VP & CTO, Amazon), Parminder Bhatia (Chief AI Officer, GE HealthCare), Bhavish Aggarwal (Founder & CEO, Ola), and Thomas Pramotedham (CEO, Presight AI), alongside His Excellency Salem Humaid Al Marri (Director General, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre). Experts like Dr. Amr Awadallah (CEO, Vectara) and Nigel Toon (CEO, Graphcore) shared insights on responsible AI deployment and transparency, addressing ethical challenges in rapid AI integration.
A notable session, “How to Build a Multi-Billion Dollar Empire Integrating Smart Technologies,” featured Muhammad Binghatti (Chairman of Binghatti) in conversation with Karl Tlais (Founder and CEO, iAdvisory), offering practical strategies for leveraging AI in business growth.
As part of Dubai AI Week (April 21-25, 2025), the festival complemented events like the AI Retreat, Global Prompt Engineering Championship (with a AED 1 million prize pool), and Machines Can See conference. The week also included the Dubai Health Authority’s “Advancing Health with Intelligence” forum and a hackathon on agentic AI, reinforcing Dubai’s holistic approach to AI adoption. Many programs, such as school workshops and AI demos, were free, aligning with the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031.
His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, emphasized an “AI-first” vision: “Every company in Dubai’s digital economy must be AI-first.” This was echoed by the launch of Dubai’s first PhD in AI, the Dubai AI Seal for trusted firms, and a AED 2 billion hyperscale data center with Microsoft and du, alongside new Arabic AI tools.
The festival attracted over 500 investors, facilitating high-impact networking and partnerships. His Excellency Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority, noted, “DIFC is delighted to be presenting one of the most significant events as part of Dubai AI Week... As adoption accelerates, the Dubai AI Festival will serve as the key platform for accelerating responsible and effective AI implementation across business, government, and society.” The Dubai AI Campus is projected to expand beyond 100,000 square feet, host 500+ companies, create 3,000+ jobs, and attract USD 300 million in investments by 2028.
The Dubai AI Festival 2025 reaffirmed Dubai’s role as a pioneer in the global digital economy, aligning with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the UAE’s AI Strategy 2031. By fostering collaboration among 8,000+ attendees, 100+ exhibitors, and global thought leaders, the event set the stage for responsible AI adoption, ethical governance, and transformative innovation. For more details, visit https://dubaiaifestival.com/.Join the movement to shape the future of AI—Dubai is leading the way.