AI Dominates Conversations at GITEX Global 2024

This year's edition of GITEX GLOBAL kicked off on October 14, 2024, with the event getting rolled out under the theme “Global Collaboration to Shape a Future AI Economy.”  

Business and government leaders from the UAE and around the world addressed audiences on the first day of GITEX GLOBAL 2024. In a special briefing titled ‘Rise of the New Economy: AI and Emerging Industries,’ HE Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri, Cabinet Member and UAE Minister of Economy, delved into the UAE’s strategic initiatives to foster innovation, enhance competitiveness, and position the country as a global leader in the new economy. With the UAE’s non-oil sector accounting for 74 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, Al Marri reaffirmed the Ministry of Economy’s ambitious plans ahead.

“We are in the business of breaking records," he said. "We’ve already achieved a non-oil sector that accounts for 74 percent of GDP – this record has never happened before in our country’s history. The UAE’s environment and ecosystem attracts people from around the globe – and the target now is to reach 80 percent by 2030 and become an R&D hub for the world.” 

At the World Future Economy Digital Leaders Summit, HE Faisal Al Bannai, advisor to the UAE President and secretary general of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), addressed attendees in a talk titled ‘AI Leadership: Steering Societal Transformation,’ where he discussed the socio-economic implications of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as global AI leadership, models, governance, and regulation.  

The first day of GITEX GLOBAL also saw showcases from global tech companies. UAE technology group G42 presented its Intelligence Grid immersive experience, allowing visitors to discover how AI can power every aspect of life as a ‘super utility.’ Global consumer technology company Lenovo showcased its new range of hardware and cloud solutions equipped with transformative AI capabilities for the future. Another highlight was the XPeng AeroHT eVTOL Flying Car – which allowed audiences to witness the technology revolutionizing aviation and personal transportation.   

GITEX Editions, a platform for late-stage advanced tech companies and a hub for unicorns, soonicorns, and rhinos, also kicked off on the first day, connecting 59 global unicorns. HE Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, addressed attendees at the opening of GITEX Editions at a talk titled ‘The UAE as the Sandbox for Pragmatic AI Regulation and Policy Development.’   

Didier Jacobs of Europol and Kai Zenner of the EU Parliament speak on the intersection of tech, cybersecurity, and law in tech governance. Courtesy of Didier Jacobs.

Didier Jacobs, head of ICT and chief AI officer at Europol, addressed the challenges of cybercrime in the AI era, calling for increased collaboration and technology deployment to combat borderless digital threats. “Cybercrime knows no borders. There are many technologies that can be misused for hacking, extortion, sabotage, illegal transactions, and so on. What’s needed are solutions – a blend of increased human collaboration and technology deployment is essential,” he said.  

Attendees also discussed transformative AI case studies across government, enterprise, and startups, as well as the need to balance AI’s potential with creativity and human intuition in various sessions, including one titled ‘Regulating Tech: The Intersection of Tech, Crime, and Law.’  

This edition of the event also marked the largest-ever European participation at GITEX GLOBAL, with 38 European countries exhibiting alongside more than 1,000 SMEs and 450 startups -- a milestone that was celebrated with the launch of the European Innovation Council pavilion. With debuting exhibitors from countries including Austria, Portugal, Latvia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Switzerland in attendance, Trixie LohMirmand, executive vice president of DWTC, the organizer of GITEX GLOBAL, opened the brand-new site.