H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), has reiterated Dubai’s commitment to becoming a global hub for artificial intelligence. Speaking ahead of the inaugural Dubai AI Week, Sheikh Hamdan emphasised that AI will form the “infrastructure for cities that think, services that adapt, and governments that anticipate.”
Dubai AI Week officially opens on 21 April, with the Crown Prince noting the emirate’s readiness to lead global AI efforts. Organised by the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DCAI) and overseen by the DFF, the event reflects a long-term vision to embed AI across all sectors of society.
“More than 10 years ago, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, envisioned a future where every government service would be at our fingertips. Today, we are taking the next bold step into that future,” said Sheikh Hamdan.
He stressed that AI is now a necessity—not just an innovation—highlighting the importance of integration across public services, education and the wider economy.
“We will begin by assessing government entities based on their AI integration and measuring the academic sector by its contributions to AI research and teaching. We will also celebrate the companies advancing Dubai’s AI economy. This is Dubai’s new standard – those who do not embrace AI today will fall behind. See you at Dubai AI Week.”
The first day of Dubai AI Week will host the AI Retreat at the Museum of the Future, featuring 150 senior government officials and AI experts. The closed-door sessions will tackle issues of data governance, infrastructure, investment, and talent development. Opening remarks will be delivered by H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, followed by keynotes from Michael Spranger of Sony AI Inc. and Yossi Matias of Google Research.
Running concurrently at AREA 2071 in Emirates Towers, the Dubai Assembly for AI will convene from 21–25 April. The Assembly brings together delegations from 15 nations including the UK, Germany, India and Australia, alongside major tech firms, 60 AI startups and 20 academic institutions. More than 50 sessions will explore how AI is reshaping industries, with speakers from Gartner, Microsoft, Meta, and Animoca Brands.
Community-driven activities, such as AI Week in Schools and the Dubai AI Hackathon, are also on the agenda, alongside specialist forums like the HIMSS Executive Summit and the International Conference on AI Innovations.
With support from strategic partners including Digital Dubai, DEWA, and leading firms such as OpenAI, Google Cloud, and Nvidia, the week-long event underscores Dubai’s ambition to lead the global conversation on AI adoption, innovation and governance.
