Setting the Stage:
Dubai’s Vision for Global AI Leadership
In April 2025, the heart of innovation beat in Dubai. Thousands of technology leaders, policymakers, founders, and AI visionaries gathered at Madinat Jumeirah for the Dubai AI Festival, a landmark event that aimed to shape the global future of artificial intelligence. Organised by the Dubai AI Campus, in partnership with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, the festival was more than just a showcase of emerging technology. It was a statement of intent, a signal to the world that the UAE is not only ready for an AI-first future but is leading the way toward building it.
The scale of the event was monumental. Sessions tackled themes ranging from AI literacy and ethics to global governance and AI for everyday use. Major names like Werner Vogels (Amazon), Bhavish Aggarwal (Ola), and Parminder Bhatia (GE HealthCare) joined leaders from the UAE government and international academia to debate, demonstrate, and define the role of artificial intelligence in shaping humanity’s next chapter. Behind this seamless experience stood KonfHub, the event technology partner trusted to orchestrate the attendee journey, manage operations, and make a complex, global-scale event feel intuitive and engaging for every participant.