Dubai has officially opened the third edition of the Dubai AI Festival 2026 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, gathering over 150 speakers, 500 investors, and 200 exhibitors from more than 100 countries. Running on October 26 and 27 under the theme “Where Intelligence Meets Opportunity,” the two-day event marks a pivot from experimental technology trials to actual use across the Middle East and beyond.
From Sandbox Experiments to Enterprise Scale
Organized by the Dubai AI Campus at the Dubai Financial Centre (DIFC) in partnership with the Office of the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, the festival addresses the mechanics of enterprise integration. The event is held under the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation, and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy.
Aref Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority, noted that artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a driver of global economic growth, productivity, and competitiveness. The agenda centers on AI agent models, digital infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, investment trends, and workforce upskilling. Discussions span critical economic pillars, including government administration, financial services, healthcare, and industry.
Legaline Launches AI Courtroom Simulation for Law Students
The festival floor serves as a launchpad for practical deployments, featuring new enterprise tools developed specifically for regional and global markets. Among the headline unveilings, Zawya reported that the UAE-based AI legal platform Legaline launched “Meta Legal Space,” positioned as the region’s first AI-powered courtroom simulation designed for law students and legal interns. The platform also offers “Legaline Docs” to generate draft contracts, legal letters, and court briefs in roughly 15 seconds for legal review.
Dmitry Grenik, founder and CEO of Legaline, explained that the system addresses a critical gap in professional preparation by placing trainees in virtual courtrooms where artificial intelligence manages the roles of judges, clerks, witnesses, and experts. Many lawyers conduct their first cross-examination in a real client’s case, and the client pays the price for any mistake,
Grenik stated. Alexander Ildoganov, co-founder and general partner, added that managing unpredictable witness responses is a skill traditionally acquired only through practice inside courtrooms. I spent over 25 years in criminal defense, and the hardest part of a trial is not just knowing the law, but the moment when a witness says something you did not expect,
Ildoganov said.
In parallel, the medical sector showcased how academic institutions are adapting curricula to automation.
Global Tech Giants and Institutional Leadership
The speaker roster brings together international tech leaders and regional policymakers. Key figures include Peng Xiao, CEO of G42; Arvind Jain, founder and CEO of Glean; Hussain Sajwani, founder and chairman of Damac Properties; Salem Humaid Al Marri, Director General of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre; and Mati Staniszewski, co-founder and CEO of ElevenLabs. Additional international and regional figures speaking at the event include Paul Newman, founder and CEO of Oxa; Sanjog Gupta, CEO of the International Cricket Council; Trevor Thompson, global managing director of Scale AI; Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government; and Dudla Sridhar Babu, Minister for IT, Electronics, Communications, Industries, Commerce, and Legislative Affairs for the Government of Telangana, India.
Global cloud providers and venture players—including Amazon Web Services, Alibaba Cloud, Mistral AI, Snowflake, Scale AI, Eleven Labs, KB Financial Group, Kera AI, Mantica, and Mubadala—are actively participating alongside homegrown Emirati institutions and entities like the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Atlan, Abjar, Damac, Binghatti, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development, the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, and the Dubai Future Foundation to forge partnerships and secure capital allocations. As panel sessions continue through October 27, the focus remains fixed on establishing regulatory trust while expanding the practical utility of cognitive systems across global markets.
