GITEX Brings Synergies Between Mind and Technology To The Forefront

GITEX Technology Week and GITEX Future Stars, the region’s biggest tech events, return to showcase innovation transforming the tech landscape under the theme ‘Synergising the Mind and Technology Economy’ at Dubai World Trade Centre from 6-10 October 2019.

The five-day event will see over 100,000 tech enthusiasts and business leaders from 140 countries harnessing and synergising the mind and technology economy.

Attendees to the 39^th edition of GITEX Technology Week and the 4^th edition of GITEX Future Stars will have an opportunity to discover and learn about trends at its all-new sections on Lifestyle Tech and Future Mobility as well as know more about the largest 5G tech applications and how Artificial Intelligence and Gen Z will shape the future.

Across its 1.4 million square foot venue, GITEX Technology Week will welcome over 4,800 exhibitors from over 140 countries, and host 290 hours of content over five days, while GITEX Future Stars, the leading event for tomorrow’s brightest technological minds, will feature over 750 international startups and corporate accelerators, and more than 1,500 investors and corporate buyers.

Heavyweight visionaries making their debuts at the technology events this year include China Mobile, Ericsson, Honeywell, Nokia, Schneider Electric and Siemens, who will unpack developments around the  world’s most transformative and emerging technologies including 5G, blockchain and AI.

Artificial Intelligence is set to be the nucleus behind all emerging technology, and will transform everything from government services, manufacturing and service industries, to every business that relies on customer interaction.

AI is expected to contribute almost 14 percent of the UAE’s GDP by 2030, equivalent to $96 billion, and in preparation for this monumental shift, GITEX will unite AI global tech powerhouses to show how the world will be redefined by self-driving vehicles, intelligent robots and the world’s smartest and most effective cybersecurity solutions.

The GITEX Artificial Intelligence Zone will unleash five incredible days of non-stop free learning sessions, 10 Hours of INSEAD-powered AI Workshops and will cover the paradigm-shifting ways that AI is affecting agriculture, construction, procurement, marketing, factory automation and government. The UAE has already set a marker down to be a world leader in AI, appointing the world’s first Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and launching the UAE Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, developments that already show the monumental impact that AI is having on the national economy.

At the event, globally recognised AI expert and GITEX keynote speaker Dr Ben Goertzel, Chairman and Chief Scientist of Singularity Studio, and CEO and Founder of SingularityNET Foundation, will reveal how AI will merge with blockchain to create deep value for businesses and society, increase human life expectancy and support medical research. Dr Goertzel is well-known in the technology world as the former chief scientist of Hanson Robotics, creator of social humanoid robot Sophia.

 GITEX Future Stars will spotlight the transformative impact of generation Z with the introduction of its NXG Stage. The latest generation of digital natives, Gen Z are at the forefront of the digital economy, with a buying power of $44 billion. With 60 percent of the MENA region population under the age of 25, GITEX will provide a platform for the future’s technology leaders, developers and consumers on the dedicated Gen Z stage.

GITEX Future Stars will also see The Government of Abu Dhabi looking to make its mark on the event, with the Emirate’s hottest innovation prospects, including Hub71, Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), Start AD, Krypto Labs, Department of Health Abu Dhabi, all aiming to put Abu Dhabi on the map as the innovation hub of the future.

Abu Dhabi has pledged AED 535 million into Hub71, a new initiative supported by Mubadala Investment Company, Microsoft, SoftBank Vision Fund and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), to attract startups to set up shop in the UAE capital.

GITEX Future Stars will give startups the chance to pitch their ideas against one another across a packed agenda of competitions. The GITEX Future Stars Supernova Challenge will be spread across 11 categories, including the NXG category, awarding the latest innovation from a Gen Z startup. The Supernova Champion will take home US$ 100,000, with each sub-category featuring a $10,000 prize. There will also be innovation competitions from the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in partnership with Accenture, and Department of Health Abu Dhabi.

After a pre-selection process in Paris, London, Milan and Moscow to find the most innovative tech ventures, Chalhoub Group’s The Greenhouse retail tech startup challenge will see startups compete at GITEX Future Stars to win the title of the best creative economy startup.

“GITEX Technology Week is an international confluence of the greatest minds in technology, global business leaders in the industry and rising stars from the tech ecosystem. GITEX Future Stars has already built a reputation as the definitive platform in the Middle East and North Africa for startup content, and this year will spotlight just how Gen Z will define our future,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Events and Exhibitions, Dubai World Trade Centre.