Tech News
Ai Everything Global 2025: Insight-fuelled debates & thought-provoking discussions show AI’s divisive power on enthralling first day in UAE capital
After weeks of rising excitement across the international AI community, Ai Everything GLOBAL is officially underway in the UAE after a thrilling opening day kicked off the year’s largest public-private global AI gathering.
Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and KAOUN International in affiliation with GITEX GLOBAL, Ai Everything Global is the world’s premier AI event. It welcomes the most influential AI stakeholders across Abu Dhabi and Dubai from February 4-6 – paving the way for participants to examine the technology’s global impact, propel cross-continental collaboration, and define new boundaries for AI innovation.
Live from the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, the Ai Everything Summit headlined the Tuesday programme as a capacity crowd and action-packed agenda marked a sensational start to the AI industry’s 2025 international events and exhibitions calendar.
H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President & Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), hailed the influence and impact of AI globally during an inspirational keynote speech. H.E. declared: “Every generation throughout human history likely said they lived during an interesting time; however, I believe we can truly say that we are living in a world where AI innovation is redefining and reshaping what’s possible like never before. The Age of Intelligence is just beginning – and there is still so much to transpire and achieve in terms of AI. The possibilities are increasingly immense with how fast the AI ecosystem is innovating and evolving – and open source is one of many aspects encouraging collaboration and empowering all to harness AI capabilities.”
H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy & Remote Work Applications, also emphasised AI’s vital role in the UAE’s future socio-economic development. He said: “We want to deploy things that benefit quality of life. If we want this technology to proliferate, if we want AI to be part of each and every one of our lives, we have to make sure it is also economic in terms of ability to access it, with a good economic value.”
It’s Ai in Everything: Diverse Perspectives Amidst Tectonic Market Shifts
Featuring distinguished government heads, technology directors, and Chief AI Officers alongside market-leading AI innovators, executives, and policymakers, the Ai Everything Summit staged an enthralling series of the most thought-provoking, insight-fuelled debates and discussions surrounding current AI dynamics and the industry’s future trajectory.
As a unifying platform for addressing pressing industry challenges and analysing the most incredible opportunities amidst deep structural market shifts, the Summit welcomed renowned visionaries from a wide variety of increasingly AI-critical industries. Alongside the energy, education, healthcare, finance, government, Industry 4.0, and creative economy sectors, Ai Everything Global cast a unique spotlight on AI’s rising influence across film, television, and digital entertainment.
Amongst the many major Day 1 highlights was an incredible interactive presentation by Jonathan Bronfman, the world-famous creator of Vanity AI tech used in Hollywood Blockbusters like ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and Netflix’s record-breaking viewership series ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Squid Game’. The Co-Founder of Canadian VFX studio Monsters Aliens Robots Zombies (MARZ) shared fascinating insights surrounding the movie industry’s AI-driven revolution during ‘The Death of Retakes: How AI is Rewriting Hollywood in Minutes’.
Bronfman spoke in glowing terms regarding AI’s future in film, insisting the industry will benefit tremendously from the technology’s revolutionary capabilities. He said: “Gen AI will impact Hollywood in a massive way. The spectacle traditionally seen in movies like Mission: Impossible, Star Trek, and Star Wars is expensive and time-consuming. GenAI will make film production and development more affordable which studios desperately need – while still attracting audiences to the big screen.”

Whilst advocating AI-Hollywood collaboration, Bronfman assured audiences that people will always be essential, despite rising concerns regarding AI displacing industry jobs: “A fully GenAI movie or series is not a threat to Hollywood. The human touch will never disappear because human creativity and intelligence are unmatched. If you look at YouTube influencers and the way they’re pulling eyeballs away from Hollywood already; consumption habits are changing massively. That’s the biggest threat facing the industry.”
From governance frameworks, commercialisation requirements, and cross-industry pivots to market-altering developments, first-hand projections, and the global AI leadership race, the summit was met with critical acclaim as attendees examined the radical winds of change reverberating across digital economies globally. With AI proving both unifying and divisive globally, audience members witnessed world-leading experts present a range of broad perspectives.
Amongst the many was a panel discussion titled ‘How is AGI Accelerating? Navigating the Growing Pressure to Fast-Track AI Innovation’. Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science at UC Berkeley, stressed an urgent necessity for stringent AI industry regulations, revealing: “This narrative that regulation stifles innovation is toxic – the record shows us that unregulated digital technologies can cause severe harm. We – as experts in AI – do not understand how this technology works. And when it doesn’t work, nobody has a way of fixing it. Nodody really knows what’s next. Whether making the next generation of large language models bigger will produce AGI is just speculation at the moment.”

Another standout session involved Kate Darling, Research Scientist at MIT Media Lab in the US. During an interactive presentation and robot demo, she shed light on groundbreaking research surrounding a future where robots and people work and co-exist in harmony: “Engineers have been working for decades to produce a robot that’s robust, reliable, and safe enough to roll out on the public street. For me personally, the most interesting thing isn’t necessarily the technical developments that we’ve seen. The really interesting thing is what happens when you take AI and robotics and put them together with people. Because as people start to encounter these technologies in their daily lives, we see some really interesting reactions.”
Examining the Winds of AI-Driven Change Globally
As the first AI-focused event following recent era-defining AI developments – from the $500 billion Stargate announcement to DeepSeek’s emergence and divisive debates at the 2025 World Economic Forum – Ai Everything Global provided the perfect platform to examine evolving global power dynamics.
Whilst fulfilling its critical touchpoint pledge for the technologically ambitious to broaden industry acumen, engage with AI leaders, and accelerate strategies through prolific public-private networking, a unique spotlight was cast on regional AI integration and deployment progression.
Stephen Burt shared positive insights when elaborating on whether affordable AI is the key to breaking a perceived big tech power concentration and driving innovation. The Government of Canada’s Chief Data Officer said: “We can get there, and we’ve actually done the basics in ensuring we have the core data in the right places alongside required infrastructure. Whether the big AI winners are in Silicon Valley, from the venture capital area, or elsewhere around the world, achieving desired results is possible because AI models are becoming so much more accessible.”
Ott Velsberg, the Estonian Government’s renowned Chief Data Officer who oversees data and AI governance in Europe’s top-rated country for digital public sector services, also revealed how countries globally could thrive following successful AI and data analytics utilisation: “A more proactive government is the way to go – actively collaborating with the private sector whilst educating the public sector. Over the last two years, data-intensive companies have grown their revenue by 60% on average, which amounts to €5.7 million daily. International collaboration has grown stronger than ever before – and different universities and countries are also pulling their resources together when faced with adversity.”
Next Up at Ai Everything Global 2025
After a defining first day in Abu Dhabi, the Ai Everything Global programme switches to another of the UAE’s rising AI capitals of the world as Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) hosts a highly anticipated Exhibition Showcase (5-6 February).
Live from Expo City, Wednesday and Thursday will highlight groundbreaking R&D use cases alongside the most transformative real-world applications covering governments, business, society, and core pillars of global economies.
Awaiting visitors is an exclusive first-hand discovery of the most patented and award-winning AI innovations from 70-plus countries, featuring a highly curated selection of over 500 exceptional pure AI companies and fastest-rising startups, with 70% marking their regional debut.
Among the many world-leading tech powerhouses exhibiting are ASUS, Alibaba Cloud, AWS, Dell, e&, Fortinet, G42, HP, and IBM. Others include Intel, Lenovo, Nokia, Oracle, Palo Alto Networks, Red Hat, Technology Innovation Institute (TII), and Zoom.
Tech News
PNY STRENGTHENS ITS TEAMS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND SAUDI ARABIATO SUPPORT STRATEGIC GROWTH


PNY today announces the reinforcement of its commercial and marketing teams across the Middle East, with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia, a key strategic market for the expansion of its professional and consumer solutions businesses.
These recruitments are designed to support the acceleration of PNY’s expanding business around AI Factory initiatives and large-scale datacenter deployments. By strengthening its capabilities across computing, networking, storage, the full software stack, and the integration of NVIDIA and Vertiv solutions, PNY is positioning itself to deliver scalable, reliable end-to-end infrastructures that meet the evolving needs of enterprises as well as public and governmental organizations investing in AI and high-performance computing.
To support this growth strategy, PNY announces several key appointments:
Hashem Abughazaleh joins PNY to lead Professional Solutions Sales.
A seasoned Business Development and Enterprise Sales leader, Hashem brings over 15 years of experience across the Middle East and GCC. He has led high-level partnerships, defined enterprise sales strategies, and managed full solution lifecycles—from partner onboarding and technical customization to delivery.
Abdullah Algahyadh is appointed to drive the expansion of PNY’s presence in Saudi Arabia.
Born and raised in Riyadh, Abdullah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Information Systems and a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management from Middlesex University. His professional background includes business development, account management, and IT consulting. Abdullah brings strong local market knowledge and will play a key role in strengthening PNY’s footprint in the Kingdom.
Mohammed Hamdouche will lead the development of local marketing activities.
His background sits at the intersection of business, marketing, and technology, shaped by experience in large, tech-driven organizations across MENA markets. He brings expertise in digital marketing, with a strong interest in AI-driven technologies. Mohammed will actively support the growth of consumer solutions (a complete ecosystem of NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics cards, SSD components, and memory modules), storage ranges (USB flash drives and memory cards), as well as professional solutions.
“With these strategic hires, PNY is reinforcing its commitment to the Middle East and Saudi Arabia. We are strengthening our proximity to partners and customers, while helping them embrace innovative technologies to meet the region’s growing needs in digital transformation, AI, and high-performance computing.” – Jérôme Bélan, CEO at PNY Technologies EMEA
Tech News
ACCELERATING AI ADOPTION IN HEARING HEALTH CRITICAL TO SUPPORTING PATIENTS WITH HEARING LOSS IN UAE
Drawing on feedback from patients across the globe, Starkey highlighted that accelerating AI adoption in hearing health is already transforming daily life for people with hearing challenges, improving how they hear, connect and participate with greater confidence. Starkey addressed UAE’s leading audiologists, clinic owners and industry stakeholders from across the Middle East and Africa, led by Dr. Achin Bhowmik, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Engineering.
The session focused on Starkey’s blueprint for AI-led hearing performance for patients in UAE and wider Middle East region, anchored by Omega AI, and detailed how the platform is advancing real-world speech clarity in challenging noisy environments, listening comfort and spatial awareness today, while setting the architecture for next-generation sound processing.
“At Starkey, sound quality is always, and will remain, job number one. Hearing is essential for how people connect, work, and participate in everyday life. When people delay action, outcomes suffer and quality of life and cognitive ability can decline unnecessarily,” said Dr. Achin Bhowmik, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Engineering, Starkey. “Omega AI is built to bring people closer to natural hearing in real environments, using an industry-first 360-degree deep neural network processing and generative AI designed to dynamically adapt as listening conditions change and assist the patient in all environments. Hearing aids are high tech multifunction devices. The next step is accelerating adoption, so these capabilities reach more patients in the UAE who can benefit from them.”
During the session, Starkey highlighted how Omega AI advances the shift from conventional amplification toward intelligent hearing systems designed for clarity, comfort and usability. Omega AI includes new connectivity features including Auracast assistant and Google Fast Pair, fall detection and a special AI assistant. Starkey is setting the new standards for the industry.
The briefing took place against a backdrop of hearing loss emerging as a major global health and societal challenge. The World Health Organization projects that by 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people will have some degree of hearing loss, with more than 700 million expected to require hearing rehabilitation. The WHO also estimates the annual global cost of unaddressed hearing loss at almost US$ 1 trillion, reinforcing why prevention, early checks, and access to care matter.
The roadmap also emphasized connectivity and ecosystem design, including features intended to reduce friction for wearers, support faster fitting and follow-up, and enable a smoother clinical experience for hearing care professionals.
“Audiologists and clinic leaders in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey can rest assured that the new OMEGA AI platform will give them confidence and speed in treating their patients,” said Giscard Bechara, Director, Starkey MEA. “This briefing was designed to align the professionals on a larger point – hearing care is the need of the hour. Starkey has the technology today to service our patients better than any time before and we will waste no effort to educate and bring it here to our patients in the UAE and the Middle East.”
Starkey Middle East and Africa will continue engaging hearing care professionals and partners through professional education, technology briefings and clinical enablement initiatives, supporting evidence-based hearing care practices and helping translate the latest hearing innovation into improved patient outcomes.
Tech News
NEMETSCHEK GROUP AND INGRAM MICRO PARTNER TO ACCELERATE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA REGION
The Nemetschek Group, one of the world’s leading software providers for the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AEC/O) industry, announced a strategic partnership with Ingram Micro, a business-to-business (B2B) platform company for the global technology ecosystem, to jointly explore new business opportunities and accelerate digital transformation across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
The strategic partnership brings together Nemetschek’s cutting-edge software portfolio with Ingram Micro’s extensive regional reach, ecosystem enablement capabilities and deep market expertise. As part of the collaboration, both companies will work closely on joint market development initiatives, including coordinated marketing campaigns, industry events and customer engagement activities aimed at increasing awareness and adoption of Nemetschek’s solutions across the region. The collaboration also outlines a strong focus on sales enablement and training, equipping Ingram Micro’s teams with the technical, product and commercial expertise required to effectively promote, demonstrate and support Nemetschek technologies.
In addition, the partnership will support customers throughout their digital transformation journey through pre-sales collaboration, post-sales support and long-term account growth strategies. It is designed as a progressive onboarding framework, with Ingram Micro expected to be gradually onboarded across Nemetschek’s portfolio on a brand-by-brand basis as the partnership evolves.
Yves Padrines, Chief Executive Officer of the Nemetschek Group, noted that partnerships are a cornerstone of Nemetschek’s strategy to scale innovation and drive digital transformation globally. “The Middle East and North Africa region offers immense opportunity, defined by ambitious infrastructure programs and a clear commitment to digitalization. By collaborating with Ingram Micro, we are strengthening our ability to deliver open, connected and future-ready solutions that empower our customers to design, build and operate more efficiently and sustainably.”
Commenting on the partnership, Muayad Simbawa, Managing Director of Nemetschek Arabia, said: “This collaboration represents a strategic step forward in our mission to enable meaningful digital transformation across the built environment in the Middle East and North Africa. Ingram Micro’s strong regional footprint, ecosystem-driven approach and proven ability to scale technology adoption make them an ideal partner as we continue to empower architects, engineers and construction professionals with innovative, open and interoperable solutions. Together, we are laying the foundation for a more connected, efficient and sustainable future for the industry.”
Shaikh Mohammed Ahmed, Managing Director, Ingram Micro KSA, added: “At Ingram Micro, we see digital transformation as a collaborative journey built on strong partnerships and shared expertise. Our collaboration with Nemetschek reinforces our commitment to enabling our customers and partners with world-class technologies that address the evolving needs of the AEC sector. By combining Nemetschek’s industry-leading solutions with our regional capabilities and enablement services, we aim to unlock new growth opportunities and deliver tangible value across the MENA region.”
Ingram Micro is a leading global technology distributor and services provider, playing a critical role in the IT ecosystem by connecting technology manufacturers with solution providers and end customers. Through its extensive portfolio, digital platforms and value-added services, Ingram Micro enables businesses to scale, innovate and transform in an increasingly digital world.
The partnership underscores both companies’ shared vision of driving innovation, accelerating technology adoption and supporting regional ambitions for smarter infrastructure, sustainable development and digitally enabled economies.
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