Dubai:H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, attended the opening ceremony of the third edition of the Dubai AI Festival at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The festival, running until October 27, 2026, has drawn over 20,000 attendees from more than 100 countries, including policymakers, technology leaders, and entrepreneurs.

According to Wam, the festival is organized by the Dubai AI Campus in collaboration with the Office of the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence. The event, themed 'Where Intelligence Meets Opportunity,' aims to explore the next phase of AI adoption. Sheikh Hamdan emphasized Dubai's commitment to investing in advanced technologies to foster economic growth, noting the significant role of artificial intelligence in driving technological and economic progress.

Sheikh Hamdan also reviewed the progress of the Dubai AI Campus, which has surpassed its original five-year targets by attracting over 500 AI companies and securing over AED1 billion in investments since its launch in May 2024. He approved new strategic targets for the campus to attract more than 1,000 AI companies and create over 5,000 highly skilled jobs by 2030.

During his tour, Sheikh Hamdan visited various stands, including Dubai Medical University and companies like ElevenLabs, Amazon Web Services, and Alibaba Cloud. He also reviewed the architectural vision for a new AI Campus building in the DIFC Zabeel District, a facility designed to accelerate AI innovation and support Dubai's ambition to become a global center for AI by 2030.

The Dubai AI Festival and the development of the AI Campus highlight Dubai's vision of becoming a global hub for technology and innovation. The festival features discussions on global AI governance, innovation, ethics, and the future of work, among other critical AI-related topics.