UAE BARQ برق الإمارات – نبضك
Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) has announced the lineup of prominent speakers taking part in five TED Talks, part of the globally renowned TED platform that brings together some of the world’s brightest minds to share inspiring ideas across a wide range of disciplines. The TED Talks will be held on the opening day of The Big Stage, one of the eight main concepts at Dubai Future Week.
Running from 18th to 21st November 2026, the event will bring together leading international thinkers and experts to explore the transformations shaping the future of humankind and key sectors over the coming decades.
The TED programme will open with a session titled ‘What if AI Worked Only for You?’, will feature Tom Gruber, an American computer scientist, inventor and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and developer of Siri, the intelligent virtual assistant later acquired by Apple.
The second talk will be followed by a session titled ‘How to Design an Immune System for Buildings’, American scientist and engineer, Jessica Green will explore the relationship between microbes, human health and the built environment. Her approach focuses on the need to equip buildings with immune systems capable of detecting what is in the air and neutralising airborne pathogens when needed.
The next talk will be followed by a session titled ‘The Future of Humankind and Our Entanglement with Technology’, featuring Danny Hillis, renowned American inventor, computer scientist and entrepreneur and the visionary behind the design of the 10,000-Year Clock. Hillis will explore how we can strengthen meaning, creativity and trust in an increasingly complex world.
The fourth session titled, ‘Why We Need to Think Outside the Box’, will feature world-renowned Chinese architect Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects. Known for his futuristic, nature-inspired approach to architecture and urban design, Yansong will explore a compelling question: What will the organic city look like?
The fifth and final session, titled ‘Turning Inspiration into Innovation’, will feature Abdulla Al Zarouni from Dubai Future Foundation, who will explore whether the future belongs to those with the best ideas or those who create the right conditions for those ideas to succeed, particularly as AI continues to accelerate innovation.
While the five TED Talks will take place on the opening day, The Big Stage will host sessions at the Museum of the Future Auditorium throughout the four-day event. The programme will bring together inspiring figures, global leaders, decision-makers, scientists, innovators and thinkers from around the world to explore the future of humankind and the most significant transformations shaping our world.
Additional sessions throughout Dubai Future Week will address a wide range of future-focused topics across the event’s five main tracks: How We’ll Live, How We’ll Think, How We’ll Innovate, How We’ll Feel and How We’ll Do Business.
The Big Stage is one of eight main concepts at Dubai Future Week, held under the theme ‘For the Human of the Future’. The event is expected to welcome more than 10,000 participants, including experts, inventors, innovators, investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs and specialists from a range of future-focused sectors.
Dubai Future Week will feature a diverse programme of keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops, inspiring conversations, debates, challenges and competitions, startup pitches, exhibitions, immersive future experiences, closed-door meetings, offstage events and public activations.
For more information about Dubai Future Week, please visit: www.dubaifutureweek.com
