Dubai Future Foundation will host the world’s largest gathering of futurists in Dubai this year to anticipate what humanity’s future might look like across key areas – from the climate crisis to the continuous progress of artificial intelligence.

Between 10th to 12th October, 2022, 400 of the world’s leading futurists, experts and innovators will convene at the Museum of the Future for the inaugural Dubai Future Forum, where they will discuss, debate and predict the future trajectory of the world.

The first edition of the Dubai Future Forum will host 30 sessions, including panel discussions and live debates on topics that include advances in artificial intelligence (AI) sentience, bridging the digital divide, the readiness of hydrogen to take over the energy mantle from oil and gas, interplanetary colonisation, and a future climate scenario where the 2 C global warming threshold is breached.

Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, said, “The Dubai Future Forum represents a significant levelling-up of our efforts to foresee the future. The global platform in Dubai will host futurists and the world’s brightest minds to anticipate the opportunities and challenges to shape our societies. It will explore how we can harness emerging technologies and deploy Fourth Industrial Revolution tools to transform challenges into opportunities.”

He added, “Human knowledge is growing, and technological advancement is accelerating rapidly. Consequently, we are no longer witnesses to change; we are the drivers of change. We need to be ready to deploy skills and technologies to serve society and enhance the quality of life for all.”

By convening with more than 45 organisations, the forum’s sessions will focus on four main themes, which include the “Future of our World”, “Mitigating Existential Risk”, “What Does it Mean to be Human”, and “Hedging our Bets through Foresight”.

Each theme will explore how humanity and technology can come together to overcome some of the most urgent crises facing the world right now, from the climate crisis to rising energy prices and ongoing vulnerabilities in global public healthcare infrastructure.

Abdulaziz AlJaziri, Deputy CEO and Chief Operations Officer of Dubai Future Foundation, said, “As various existential threats mount, Dubai Future Forum’s discussions will focus on transforming these challenges into opportunities. The forum will address topics such as climate change, hydrogen fuel, AI, skills gaps, and space colonisation head-on.”

“The forum will inspire an alternative outlook on future sectors that will impact our economies, governments, and daily lives. We can achieve giant leaps in the future, but only by applying foresight and future planning. That is where the Dubai Future Forum will bring tremendous value in helping to shape the future of humanity.”