DUBAI: The Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard, in collaboration with the Harvard Business School Club of the GCC, hosted the inaugural International AI Conference at the Museum of the Future in Dubai. The event brought together global leaders, academics, and innovators to discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence (AI).
During a fireside chat, Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, shared the UAE’s AI journey. He emphasized the nation’s focus on using AI to improve lives through strategic investments and sectoral deployments in energy, education, health, and cybersecurity. Al Olama highlighted the UAE’s goal to become a global AI leader by 2031 while ensuring AI improves quality of life without disrupting daily experiences, citing the use of AI-powered facial recognition in UAE airports for smoother immigration.
The conference featured a keynote from Karim Lakhani, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, who unveiled an AI-powered conference bot and an AI-native online course. Lakhani addressed the challenges of adopting AI, including the need for senior leaders to drive AI integration within organisations. The course, developed “by AI, for AI,” is designed to help organizations navigate the AI adoption process and maximise its transformative potential.
Saleh Lootah, President of the Harvard Business School Club of the GCC, underscored the Gulf region’s unique position to lead the AI revolution, calling the event a platform for transformation. With more than 400 attendees, the conference aimed to inspire innovation and impactful AI adoption in the region.
