Dubai Future Forum, 2025

With over 2500 attendees, over 200 speakers, and representatives from more than 100 international institutions, the Dubai Future Forum 2025—hosted by the Dubai Future Foundation at the Museum of the Future—came to an end after two days, solidifying its position as the largest futurist gathering. Prominent UAE officials, such as H.H Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed and H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed, demonstrated the country’s dedication to innovation and future readiness by attending and honouring the winners of the Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity program and the Dubai Foresight Awards. Dubai emphasized its forward-thinking approach throughout the Forum, which is based on foreseeing change, spotting opportunities, and instilling a global culture of foresight in institutions governments and societies. The rise of AI companions, wearables integration into daily life, and the long-term socioeconomic effects of automation—including a future in which there will be a marked decline in traditional employment—were all discussed by the speakers. A number of bold predictions were also made at the event, including the expectation that gene therapy will treat serious illnesses within five years, and possibly eradicate all genetic diseases within ten.   Our team members were invited to participate and represented the Early Warning and Economics & Energy programmes at Al Habtoor Research Centre (AHRC) during the Dubai Future Forum. Throughout the event, they took part in a series of insightful workshops exploring a range of foresight and future studies methodologies.

Dubai hosted the largest gathering of futurists and foresight practitioners as 2,500 participants convened at the Museum of the Future for the third Dubai Future Forum. The event served as a global platform for exploring emerging trends and innovative solutions to address the challenges of tomorrow. Our Research Director and team members represented the Early Warning program at Al Habtoor Research Centre (AHRC) at the Dubai Future Forum. Throughout the event, they participated in informative workshops focused on various foresight and future studies techniques. The forum also provided a valuable opportunity to connect with futurists from diverse disciplines globally and strengthen our network with organizations like the School of International Futures (SOIF) and futurists from the MENA region.