Dubai's World Government Summit to Focus on AI

Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the World Government Summit Foundation Mohammad al-Gergawi during the press conference. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the World Government Summit Foundation Mohammad al-Gergawi during the press conference. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Dubai's World Government Summit to Focus on AI

Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the World Government Summit Foundation Mohammad al-Gergawi during the press conference. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the World Government Summit Foundation Mohammad al-Gergawi during the press conference. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The World Government Summit, set to begin on Feb. 12 in Dubai, will focus on artificial intelligence (AI).

This year's edition will discuss six main topics and 15 forums discussing future trends and transformations. It will feature over 110 interactive dialogues.

Themed Shaping Future Governments, the Summit brings together thought leaders, experts, and decision-makers from around the world.

More than 4,000 participants from the public and private sectors will participate in 110 interactive sessions. They 200 speakers from 80 international, regional, and intergovernmental organizations, including the UN, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Arab League, and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammed al-Gergawi said the new World Government Summit 2024 session brings together heads of state and governments, ministers, and heads of international organizations.

Gergawi stated during a press conference on Tuesday that the World Government Summit also hosts global leaders from the private sector, including CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman, CEO of Airbus Guillaume Faury, founder and CEO of NVIDIA Jensen Huang, co-and founder of Schmidt Futures and former CEO of Google Eric Schmidt.

He stated that the World Government Summit and an elite group of partners will launch a series of 25 strategic reports focusing on the most important practices and trends in vital sectors.

Ministerial meetings

The Summit hosts 15 global forums focusing on developing strategies and plans in the most vital sectors.

It is being organized in partnership with several international organizations and global technological institutions, in addition to institutions concerned with innovating new solutions to human societies' challenges.

The World Government Summit 2024 will continue its various dialogues through the Artificial Intelligence Forum, the Future of Work Forum, the Emerging Economies Forum, the Geotechnology Governance Forum, the Sustainable Development Goals Forum, the Arab Meeting for Young Leaders, and the Time 100 gala.

The Summit also hosts discussions and dialogues to anticipate the formation of future governments. They include round table meetings that bring together leaders of countries, global officials, international organizations, thought leaders, and the private sector.

The meetings aim to strengthen international cooperation, identify innovative solutions to future challenges, anticipate the most prominent opportunities, and inspire successive generations.

Arab finance ministers will also hold a meeting at the Summit, labor ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will hold consultative meetings, and the energy minister will discuss the future of hydrogen energy.

Six themes

The Summit will focus on six main themes, including enhancing the pace of growth and change for effective governments, artificial intelligence, and new future horizons, and the new vision for development and coming economies.

The themes will also address the future of education, and the aspirations of tomorrow's societies, sustainability, and new global transformations, urban expansion and priorities, and global health.

Enhancing the pace of growth and change for effective governments is gaining traction at a time when global governments have accelerated their transformative digital initiatives and their reliance on technology in various fields.

It contributed to developing a system of new opportunities and many challenges.

Future policies should contribute to addressing the digital divide and ensure no one is left behind in the face of accelerating global changes.

The theme of artificial intelligence and new future horizons will focus on regulating this technology, designing it ethically, and identifying emerging trends.



Germany Says Aims to be World Leader in Quantum Technologies

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)
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Germany Says Aims to be World Leader in Quantum Technologies

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to support the development of quantum technologies, saying at the opening of an IBM data center on Tuesday that investment in the sector was crucial for the future of Europe's biggest economy.

"Our goal is clear: to be global leader in quantum technologies," said Scholz, adding Germany had invested 2 billion euros ($2.22 billion) on quantum technology since 2020.

"This is the basis of our economic success and prosperity," he said at the opening of IBM's Quantum European Data Center in Ehningen, a roughly 290-million-euro investment. The center will allow users in Europe and elsewhere to access services for cloud-based quantum computing research, Reuters reported.

Quantum computers could operate millions of times faster than advanced supercomputers. So far, the United States and China have led the technology.

Other projects in Germany include the joint development of quantum processors by Infineon and eleQtron GmbH.
Scholz said Germany was focused on semiconductors, AI, pharmaceuticals and bio- and climate technologies.
"These are the areas we need to lead," said Scholz.