Dubai Future Forum concludes on high note

Dubai [UAE], November 20 (ANI/WAM): The Dubai Future Forum 2025, organised by Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) at the Museum of the Future, concluded on Wednesday.

Over two days, the Forum welcomed more than 2,500 participants, over 200 speakers, and representatives of more than 100 global institutions, reinforcing its position as the world's largest gathering of futurists. DFF also announced that the next edition of the Forum will be held on 17-18 November 2026.

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 DFF, attended the Forum's activities, accompanied by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and honoured the winners of the first edition of the Dubai Foresight Awards. He also met the fifth cohort of the Dubai Future Experts Program and the second cohort of the "FEEL: A Disruptive Futures Program".

During the Forum, Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), honoured the winners of the Dubai Future Solutions - Prototypes for Humanity programme, held under the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed.

Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of Dubai Future Foundation, affirmed that Dubai's globally recognised model for anticipating and designing the future - developed under the vision and directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai - is built on proactive future readiness, anticipating change, identifying opportunities, and understanding future trends. He said: "Foresight is a central pillar of our work, our projects, and our initiatives. It enables us to define future priorities and objectives in ways that positively impact individuals and societies around the world."

His Excellency added: "We will continue supporting designers of the future in every field, and all those who harness its opportunities and contribute to making them a reality. Through the Dubai Future Forum, we aim to embed a global culture of foresight - one that becomes a priority for governments, entities, organisations and individuals."

Several major announcements were made at the Forum, including confirmation by Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, that Dubai recorded the first-ever commercial agentic AI payment transaction outside the United States. The transaction, launched by Mastercard in partnership with Majid Al Futtaim, took place on the morning of the Forum's opening.

The fourth edition of the Forum was distinguished by a series of exceptional predictions. In his opening speech, Khalfan Belhoul outlined three major shifts that will shape humanity's future: the importance of focus as a "new currency" amid decreasing attention spans; a new era of information overload where "everyone and no one is an expert"; and the evolution of AI companions redefining the concept of a "best friend."

Forum speakers predicted that gene therapy will treat blood and liver diseases within five years, and that all 4,000 known genetic diseases could be eliminated within a decade. They anticipated that future development policies will place human well-being and ethical governance at their core; that human bodies equipped with advanced wearables will become the natural environment for daily AI integration; and that 30% of Fortune 500 CEOs will have a digital twin by 2028. Other experts explored provocative scenarios, including the possibility that a fully omniscient AI, capable of accessing all human knowledge, could pose an existential threat to humanity. Forecasts also included demographic and institutional challenges, such as the expectation that by 2060, for every 100 people working, 52 may be without employment, and that academic institutions may shift from leading innovation to coordinating it across all sectors as AI reshapes research and development.

The Forum's sessions highlighted several global records that will influence future generations, including the halving of global child mortality over the past 25 years; Other insights included: the United Nations System of National Accounts 2025 was adopted meaning for the first time environmental sustainability and well-being are used as key indicators of national growth; global installed solar capacity surpassed 2,200 GW by end-2024, more than doubling since 2022; by 2060, for every 100 people working, there will be 52 people who are not; nearly 2 billion people still lack access to clean drinking water; the Emirates Genomic Research Program has 120 petabytes of genomic data stored; and the UAE is planning a base for researchers in Antarctica that can accommodate more than 50 people.

DFF also announced during the Forum that 31 new international organisations and institutions have joined the Global Futures Society (GFS), which is headquartered at the Museum of the Future in Dubai. The additions raise the GFS's total membership to 91 experts and institutions representing leading futures organisations across 33 countries.

The Forum also raised urgent strategic questions requiring collective international action: the value of increased efficiency if human well-being does not improve; society's readiness for a world where agentic AI systems act on our behalf; humanity's ability to rebuild its relationship with nature while embracing transformative technologies; the future role of AI in education, governance, and daily life; and how societies will redefine growth in a world that is moving beyond GDP as the sole measure of progress.

Throughout its two days, the Forum hosted specialised workshops with leading consultancies, thematic symposia with global institutions, and a range of activities, including UNICEF's launch of its latest report, The Future of Childhood in a Changing World.

Forum's discussions took place across five central themes: Foresight Insights, Exploring the Unknown, Empowering Societies, Reimagining Health, and Optimising Systems. The second day also featured the awarding of the Future Stories Awards, recognising leading authors and storytellers shaping the future imagination.

This year's edition of "Future Stories" Award celebrated three voices whose imagination stood out among 185 submissions from 47 countries. First place was awarded to Thomas Knuijver from the Netherlands for his story "Above a Simulated Nile", a tale in which a widower staying at a futuristic space resort uncovers that the AI designed to emulate his late wife may be far more "alive" than anyone expected.

Second place went to Pierluigi Fasano from Italy, writing from Switzerland, for "The Awakening", a profound exploration of what it might feel like for the first self-aware artificial intelligence to awaken inside an alien, engineered human body. Third place was awarded to Maryam Al Shawab from the UAE for her story "The Safe Space", set in a world shared by humans and androids. Her narrative follows Peter as he undergoes emotional therapy to overcome love, loss, and loneliness in a society where technology and humanity coexist intimately.

The 2025 edition brought together an extensive network of partners, including Dubai Municipality, Emirates Global Aluminium, Emirates Flight Catering, UNICEF, XPANCEO, The Explorers Club, Fikr Institute, Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, The Dreamwork Collective, Cinema Akil, Aquafina, and universities and academic institutions from around the world, including Arizona State University, the Higher Colleges of Technology, the International Islamic University Malaysia, and Hanze University of Applied Sciences.

DFF launched a new report, The Future of Space Solar Power, exploring the potential of harvesting solar energy outside Earth's atmosphere and transmitting it wirelessly back to Earth as a sustainable source of clean energy.

The 2025 edition also featured the Forum's first dedicated Book Corner, offering book launches, signings, and direct interaction with global authors and publishers. Attendees explored a range of immersive experiences powered by virtual, augmented, and extended reality technologies, designed to engage multiple senses and inspire active participation in imagining, designing, and implementing the future.

DFF also signed a new partnership with Dubai Police to support capacity-building programmes, future-focused research, and digital innovation initiatives that enhance quality of life and accelerate Dubai's vision for world-class human-centred government services.

Additionally, DFF signed a partnership agreement with The Explorers Club to foster collaboration across exploration, science, innovation, foresight, and joint global initiatives. (ANI/WAM)

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