With innovation and technology revolutionizing its economy, Dubai has emerged as a futuristic metropolis. 

This tech-led transformation was driven by necessity and not luxury, Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Application, said at the Dubai Future Forum. “We’ve always been embracing foresight and trying to work towards understanding what the future may hold.”

As a dynamic, forward-looking, and cosmopolitan city, Dubai has become a global hub for talent, technology, and innovation. “Over 200 nationalities are in Dubai contributing to the city’s future, side by side with a forward-thinking leadership that knows the importance of foresight and takes risks to embrace future opportunities. Emirates Airlines, Dubai Internet City, and Dubai Media City are all examples of leadership’s foresight,” he added. 

WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE

Dr. Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist and futurist, discussed that the world should brace itself for “major transformations” in energy, healthcare, and entertainment. We will be able to treat diseases like Parkinson’s and cancer at the molecular level, curing cancer as easily as we treat the common cold.

“Today’s cities are where jobs are created and this compounds urbanization,” he said. “But as long as economic activity is concentrated in a small area, populations will rise in densely crowded areas. There are many solutions to this: one is to go underground. The other is to redistribute jobs across a larger space.”

The two-day forum, was held from October 11-12 at Dubai’s Museum of the Future with 30 sessions focused on sharing ideas, perspectives, and knowledge on four key themes: the Future of Our World; Mitigating Existential Risk Through Foresight; Value and Humanity; and Hedging Our Bets Through Foresight.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation said, “The forum provides a platform for intellectual and scientific dialogue on how the world can shape its near-term and long-term future. The outcomes of the forum will serve governments, communities, and economies around the world.”