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‘Future cities’ in focus at WGS24: Can Dubai build a brighter, happier and more prosperous future?

 

Dubai is hosting the annual World Government Summit (WGS) from February 12 to 14, focusing on ‘Shaping Future Governments’. The summit has attracted participation from heads of state, governments, global organizations, governmental delegations, thought leaders, and experts. The summit has inspired proactive measures from governments and institutions to develop and embrace digital solutions to shape future cities. Dubai’s Crown Prince HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed discussed the challenges facing future cities in a speech titled “7 Key Principles for Future Cities.” In 2021, the World Government Summit Organisation released a report urging governments to invest heavily in securing Information and Communication Technologies. In 2022, another report highlighted the urgency of comprehensive digital transformation for future city readiness, highlighting innovations and initiatives, such as the app created by Dubai to capture citizen-customer happiness data in a consolidated city dashboard.



General Manager at Microsoft UAE Naim Yazbeck urged investment in AI and modern applications in Arab countries to foster societal growth. Building future cities requires technological advancements and protection against challenges accompanying growth and urbanisation, including boosting cybersecurity measures and embracing new practices to keep pace with rapid transformation. OpenAI’s chief executive Sam Altman emphasized the need to be patient and emphasize the need for a global AI watchdog system to monitor crucial developments in the sector.

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