Dubai cements its AI supremacy with /function1 2025—the year-end global AI nexus bringing together founders, developers, investors, and top tech leaders.
Dubai, UAE – The new anchor of the global tech calendar: /function1 is returning to the Festival Arena, Dubai, on November 18–19, 2025. After an immensely successful first edition in May ’25, the conference is expanding to become the flagship conference of artificial intelligence at the end of the year, cementing the UAE’s strategic role as an AI pioneer.
It is held by the personal motivation of a strong, in-person meetup, helping AI founders to share groundbreaking ideas and find strategic partners. The next edition will host the largest gathering of the whole AI ecosystem. The organizers anticipate a massive attendance of 10,000+—spanning the entire range of the AI community: developers and founders, investors, scientists, students, and regulators.
Table of Contents
Transformative AI Agendas
Founders, Developers, and Scholars: The Engine of Innovation
World-Class Thought Leadership and Ecosystem Support
Why Dubai?
Practical Details
About /function1
Transformative AI Agendas
The summit will be conducted on three dynamic stages over the two days and will have a highly selective agenda that aims at transcending the hype and addressing the most critical and pressing issues that are transforming the industry around the world. Specifically, the program is supposed to explore the empirical and strategic impacts of Artificial Intelligence in major areas:
- Financial Services & Cybersecurity: The Future of FinTech, AI revolutionizing the fraud detection process, and risk management.
- Smart Cities & Biometrics: The implementation of smart systems in city planning, citizen services, and advanced systems of identity management is discussed.
- Healthcare & Medical Diagnostics: Drawing attention to the role of AI in diagnosing and designing drugs and tailored medicine.
- Energy & Sustainability: The aspect of AI and its ability to streamline grid efficiency and promote green initiatives.
Other major subjects are security, decentralised AI, human and AI interaction, industry-AI applications, robotics, and AI agents.
Founders, Developers, and Scholars: The Engine of Innovation
/function1 is engineered as a launchpad for the next wave of AI innovation, with three major initiatives focusing on talent and entrepreneurship:
- Founders Program: This centerpiece initiative is set to unite 5,000+ AI startups, with 4,000 founders already confirmed to attend. It serves as a vital platform to spotlight the most promising early-stage companies, providing them visibility, networking access, and direct strategic opportunities with global investors.
- AI Genesis Hackathon: Partnering with LabLab and NativelyAI, the conference will host the next edition of the worldwide hybrid hackathon, billed as the largest hackathon in the Middle East—bringing together over 4,000 talented developers for a week-long challenge that culminates in an on-stage finale in Dubai.
- AI Futures Lab: Focused on empowering the next generation, this unique educational programme and student pitch challenge unite students from top UAE universities. They will receive mentoring from industry and academia and pitch ambitious AI solutions to the 10,000+ conference audience.
World-Class Thought Leadership and Ecosystem Support
The event will feature an impressive line-up of 150+ hand-picked speakers from world-leading corporations, academia, and government. The first batch announced includes:
Some additional voices include: Yuki Shirato (Techstars), Omnia Mohieldine Mohamed Ali Hamed (Seed Group & The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum), Ankit Lathigara (Nasdaq), Sundas Khalid (Google), Mohammed Benzakour (LinkedIn), and Lydia Andresen (Invisible Technologies), among others.
This commitment to high-calibre content is mirrored by a powerful ecosystem of sponsors and partners.
Key sponsors include Gemini (Google’s next-gen multimodal AI model) and AppliedAI (with its flagship Opus ABPX platform for enterprise-grade automation). AI/ML API, a platform that offers 200 AI models with great scalability and low latency for sophisticated machine learning.
World-class partners include NVIDIA (AI computing infrastructure leader), Seed Ventures (backed by the Dubai Royal Family office), and top academic institutions such as Abu Dhabi University, American University in the Emirates—a private university in Dubai offering a world-class campus and highly acclaimed educational programs with an American-style curriculum—and Plekhanov University in Dubai, an international branch of Russia’s oldest university dedicated to Economics and Business.
Additionally, Dubai Business Events—the official resource of The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and the ultimate insider in the region’s business event landscape—serves as a key ecosystem partner. The event site further underscores the presence of over 100 exhibitors and representation from 102 countries, with 64% of attendees designated as founders and C-level executives.
Why Dubai?
The UAE is positioning itself as a global hub for AI. Backed by the world’s first dedicated AI Ministry, a $91 billion national strategy, and a landmark US partnership to build the largest AI data centre outside America, the country’s infrastructure, talent, and ambition make this conference a prime location for building the future of AI.
Practical Details
- Date: November 18–19, 2025
- Location: Festival Arena, Dubai, UAE
- Website / Registration:
- Attendees: 10,000+ expected
- Stages / Format: 3 stages, 100+ exhibitors, global representation
- Ticketing: Tier-based options available (from standard “Attendee” to VIP packages). fnctn1.com
About /function1
/function1 is one of the fastest-growing AI conferences in the world. Based in Dubai—the global frontier of AI innovation—the event is on a mission to build a one-stop global platform for AI founders and industry communities, featuring a unique blend of leading Middle Eastern and global organisations. Produced by CREZEE (a production house and consulting agency that has organised technology events featuring icons such as Vitalik Buterin, Ben Goertzel, the Winklevoss twins, and Jimmy Wales) — the event merges visionary content with high production standards.
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