Statements regarding Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed’s directives to host the AI@70 conference in Dubai

His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, said that the directives 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 Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation, to host the AI@70 conference in Dubai underscore the emirate's commitment to becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology. He added that Dubai will host the ‘AI@70: Towards a Global Humanity’ as part of the Dubai AI Week 2026. This landmark conference will reinforce the UAE's position as the global capital of the future and testbed for the latest applications of AI and advanced technology.

Dubai will host this global event in cooperation with the United States’ prestigious Dartmouth College, from which the concept of artificial intelligence was launched in 1956. It will gather the world’s most prominent thinkers and experts in AI to develop a comprehensive roadmap for the next 70 years with the aim of harnessing this transformative technology to serve the whole of humanity. The conference will be organised by the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in collaboration with APCO International.

His Excellency Omar Al Olama said AI@70 is a chance to address the most pressing philosophical questions sparked by the AI revolution, stating: “As AI transforms nations and societies around the world, it is vital humanity comes together to set the philosophical direction of this technology. AI has the power to improve the lives of every person on the planet, but to achieve this goal, we must answer questions that have never before been asked of us. By bringing together leaders in all intellectual disciplines, we can confront these important questions and ensure we leave behind a prosperous world for our children and all generations who follow them.”

His Excellency Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of the DIFC Authority, said: "As the home of the Dubai AI Forum, DIFC is committed to turning bold ideas into reality with a lasting impact. AI@70 embodies our ambition to fuse finance, technology, art, and philosophy in one place and chart a course toward a truly global humanity.

“By welcoming the world’s foremost thinkers to Dubai, we will not only celebrate seven decades of artificial intelligence progress, we will also ignite the next wave of breakthroughs to uplift societies, transform industries, and expand opportunity for every corner of the globe,” His Excellency Amiri added.

Tobias Rees, AI philosopher, Founder of Limn.AI, a member of APCO’s AIC and head of the AI@70 steering committee, said this will be an unparalleled event for humanity, stating: “AI is taking the whole of humanity into a world where no one has yet experienced. A world in which the formerly clear-cut distinctions between humans and technology, between organism and machine, no longer apply. We stand on the verge of an unprecedented moment in the history of humanity. AI@70 is an exciting opportunity to bring humanity together, to assemble some of the finest thinkers and builders from East and West, North and South. We want to explore the difficult questions that will enable us to understand the newness of AI, to build this exciting technology to its fullest potential, and to support the development of new frameworks for a single global humanity.”

Mamoon Sbeih, APCO’s President of Middle East & North Africa, said AI@70 represents a pivotal moment in the future of humanity, stating: “We stand on the cusp of a new technological age. AI represents the greatest opportunities humanity has seen in centuries, but to ensure it serves all of us, we must come together as a collective. AI@70 will allow us to define the future of AI and set our species on a positive path where philosophy, art, science, technology and business come together to build a more prosperous world for us all. By gathering the greatest global minds to tackle the most important questions, we can leave a powerful legacy for generations to come.”