AI safety and rapid rise of advanced technology key topics for Abu Dhabi summit

The two-day Ai Everything summit in Abu Dhabi, taking place from Tuesday, is set to position the city as a significant regional hub for artificial intelligence. The event, hosted by the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi (DGE), will gather around 180 speakers, including industry leaders such as Arthur Mensch, co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI, and Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics. Mistral AI specializes in generative AI, while Boston Dynamics focuses on robotics.

As governments and corporations worldwide scramble to control the rapidly advancing super-technology of AI, its safety and the rapid rise of the technology have become crucial topics of discussion at the summit. Concerns over unequal opportunities for women in the industry have also been highlighted. This year's event coincides with Abu Dhabi's ambition to become the world's first AI-native government by 2027, with over 40 government entities already integrated into an AI-driven ecosystem.

Over 100 AI use cases are currently operational in the emirate's public services, supported by a $3.54 billion investment program aimed at driving AI-led public services, economic value creation, and responsible deployment.

Wesam Lootah, director general of GovDigital (DGE), emphasized Abu Dhabi's progress in redefining public services for millions of people and businesses, stating, "We have built the blueprint, and Ai Everything Abu Dhabi is our invitation to the world to examine it, to see what intelligent governance looks like at scale, and the enormous benefits it delivers to people's lives today."

The summit will address job creation and the implications of emerging technologies, as LinkedIn reports that AI-related job postings have doubled since 2023. AI engineers have surpassed machine learning engineers as the most common AI role on LinkedIn, with a typical AI job offering around $177,000, compared to $80,000 for non-AI roles.

However, a gender imbalance persists, with women accounting for only 25% of AI hires in the US in 2025, whereas they represent 50% of non-AI occupations. Across 27 countries, women hold just 13% of C-suite leadership roles at AI companies. At US President Donald Trump's recent AI summit, only two of the 31 guests and business leaders were women, underscoring a persistent gender gap at the top of the industry.