Global Experts to Explore AI’s Impact on Creativity, Culture, and Politics at 7th Abu Dhabi Culture Summit
ABU DHABI, UAE ,
April 19, 2025 /JamNewsWire/ — The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu
Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced the key panels and sessions to be held at the seventh edition of Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, the leading global forum to be held from April 27-29, 2025, at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
This year ‘s Summit , themed ” Culture for Humanity and Beyond ,” will bring together global thought leaders, policymakers, renowned artists, and creative innovators to explore what is happening at the intersection of culture, technology, and global governance. The three-day Summit will foster critical dialogue focused on new collective thinking about human emancipation and humanism through keynote lectures, creative conversations, expert panels, artist talks, and a series of tailored workshops. Participants will strive to find common ground to build a shared sustainable future. New perspectives will emerge to reimagine the future as old ways of thinking prove obsolete.
His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism , said: “The Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism is proud to once again bring together its local and international partners in the fields of culture, design, technology and beyond for the seventh edition of the Abu Dhabi Culture Summit, to continue the progress made in identifying how culture can drive positive change. As part of the Saadiyat Cultural District, we will jointly explore the theme of ‘Culture for Humanity and Beyond,’ seeking new perspectives on the power of creative and artistic endeavors in an era of unprecedented technological change.”
Rita Aoun , Executive Director of the Culture Sector at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi , commented: “The Abu Dhabi Culture Summit brings together cultural leaders, policymakers and creative visionaries to engage in crucial discussions that will shape the future of cultural policy and the creative industries. The theme ‘Culture for Humanity and Beyond’ reflects the mandate of the Department of Culture and Tourism’s cultural sector, which, in addition to preserving and promoting culture, actively harnesses its power to drive progress, foster understanding and create new possibilities for the future. As part of the sector’s role in developing a thriving cultural and creative ecosystem, we are committed to creating platforms that translate dialogue into action, strengthening cultural exchange and supporting sustainable growth in the region and beyond.”
The Abu Dhabi Culture Summit will feature a wide range of sessions across the three days.
Keynote lectures will include Mo Gawdat , author and former chief business officer of Google X; Susan Buck-Morss , philosopher and academic; Professor Iyad Rahwan , director of machine learning at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Sir William Sargent , president of Framestore; Glenn D. Lowry, David Rockefeller director at MoMA; and Koyo Kouoh , executive director and chief curator of Zeitz MOCAA.
There will also be an exceptional series of creative conversations and in-depth discussions with award-winning creators such as Thomas Heatherwick , designer; Colleen Atwood , costume designer; Refik Anadol , visual artist; Ralph Nauta , artist; and Ayoung Kim , visual artist. There will also be in-depth conversations between philanthropist Maja Hoffmann and architect Hashim Sarkis; as well as between Sir John Akomfrah , film director; Awan Amkpa , writer and director; Thebe Magugu, stylist; and Mariam Issoufou , architect.
Additionally, a series of sessions will address the growing influence of AI on creativity and the digital world. Sessions include: “The AI Revolution: Redefining Creativity in the Machine Age”; “The Rise of AI in the Creative Industries”; “Should Governments Regulate AI to Compensate the Creative Industries?”; “The Double-Edged Sword of AI in Film”; “The Ownership Dilemma: Safeguarding Music in a Digital World”; “Tapping into the Future: Music, AI, and Learning”; and “Avatar Transmission: From Oral to Digital Knowledge.”
Attendees can also expect sessions exploring culture as a force for good. Topics include “Going Green: What Happens When Cultural Leaders Act for the Planet”; “Culture as a Public Good: From Policy to Action”; and “A Shifting Horizon. Cultural Anticipation. Love for the Planet. Sharing the World.”
On the opening day, a panel discussion will be held on the theme “Bridging the Cultural Divide: The Role of Culture in Shaping Global Governance,” reflecting the day’s sub-theme, “ Reshaping the Cultural Landscape .” The panelists will include Jenny Shipley , former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Iveta Radičová, former Prime Minister of Slovakia; and Cassam Uteem, former President of the Republic of Mauritius. The panel will discuss the importance of including culture in multilateral processes and strategies for integrating cultural dimensions into UN-related frameworks in the run-up to major culture-related events such as the MONDIACULT 2025 conference.
Following the success of the first MONDIACULT Ministerial Dialogue held at the Culture Summit last year, the Summit will host its second edition of the “MONDIACULT Ministerial Dialogue – The Culture of Humanity in the Digital Age,” a two-part discussion focusing on the impact of artificial intelligence on culture and human creativity, and on culture and peace for a sustainable future, bringing together more than ten ministers of culture from around the world, respectively. Another key cultural policy-oriented session of the Summit will be an expert panel on “Advancing the Goals of the UNESCO Framework for Cultural and Arts Education,” focusing on the day’s sub-theme, “ New Frameworks to Redefine Culture for Humanity and Beyond .” This panel follows the “World Conference on Education in the World of Culture and the Arts,” an international gathering organized by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and UNESCO from February 13 to 15 last year, which welcomed more than 19 ministers of education and ministers of culture from around the world to discuss a global framework for cultural and arts education.
Other key sessions will enrich the program, including “A Conversation: On Jazz, Humanity and Beyond” with Herbie Hancock , pioneering jazz musician and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and John Ridding, jazz enthusiast, journalist and CEO of the Financial Times; “Creative Expression in a Time of Disruption,” moderated by Mina Al-Oraibi , Editor-in-Chief of The National, featuring speakers such as Paolo Petrocelli , Director of Dubai Opera, and Lama Hourani, award-winning designer; and a panel discussion co-hosted with the UAE Department of Culture on “From Ruins to Resilience: A New Era of Heritage Rehabilitation.” Participants will also have the opportunity to discover the creative practices of many renowned artists through an exceptional series of creative talks, including Wael Al Awar , architect, Abdalla Almulla , architect, Alia AlShamsi, poet and artist, Omar Al Gurg , designer, Lawrence Abu Hamdan , artist, Yolanda Castaño, writer, and Andrea Cote , writer, among others.
Global partners of the event include UNESCO, The Economist Impact, the Design Museum, Google, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, and the Recording Academy. Other partners will be Image Nation Abu Dhabi, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), the Cultural Foundation, The National, the Club de Madrid , the Abrahamic Family House, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Berklee Abu Dhabi, the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), the French Institute, the Arab World Institute, the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington , the Abu Dhabi Natural History Museum, TeamLab, Maktaba, the House of Artisans, and the Herbie Hancock Jazz Institute.
Several key partners expressed their views on the upcoming Summit.
Ernesto Ottone R. , UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, said : “From heritage to creativity, culture is an expression of humanity that connects us across time. This year’s theme invites us to examine how technology has transformed this centuries-old relationship. UNESCO calls on participants to harness the power of culture for a sustainable and human-centered future.”
Tim Marlow , Director and CEO of the Design Museum London, said: “The Design Museum is delighted to be participating in the Culture Summit and will be hosting a series of talks and discussions this year on designing a more-than-human future.”
Nacho Floristan, Director of Generative AI Solutions Architecture, EMEA/APAC, Google, said : “We are excited to be part of the Culture Summit 2025, reflecting on how generative AI is transforming our society and how we will discover, harness, and create culture in the future.”
Harvey Mason Jr. , CEO of the Recording Academy, added: “Culture has the power to unite, inspire, and advance humanity. At the 2025 Culture Summit, we look forward to exploring how music and creativity will shape our future—amplifying voices, fostering innovation, and connecting people across borders and generations.”
Panos A. Panay , President of the Recording Academy, said: “As we prepare to gather for the 2025 Culture Summit, we find ourselves at a fascinating intersection where culture and humanity collide with unprecedented technological disruption. I look forward to discovering how music and the arts will evolve beyond traditional boundaries, becoming powerful catalysts that shape our future while deepening our connection to what makes us human in this rapidly changing world.”
Mariët Westermann , Director and CEO of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, said: “The Guggenheim has always been an incubator of the future, providing a platform for artists and catalyzing conversations to explore the important issues of the moment. We are delighted to return to the Abu Dhabi Culture Summit and focus our creative imagination at this edition on how art, AI, and other generative technologies are shaping new frontiers of cultural expression and production.”
Kenneth Cukier , Associate Editor of The Economist, commented on the event: “As AI devours the world, championing culture as an expression of our human values and shared destiny is vital. Economist Impact is honored to participate in the annual Abu Dhabi Culture Summit, which celebrates the power of storytelling to shape our identities for progress and purpose.”
The Abu Dhabi Culture Summit is an annual global forum that brings together international leaders from the cultural and creative industries to explore how culture can transform societies and communities worldwide. The forum reflects the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism’s commitment to preserving, protecting, and promoting Abu Dhabi’s rich cultural heritage while fostering creativity and innovation to build a more inclusive and sustainable global cultural future.
For more information about the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and the destination, please visit: dct.gov.ae and abudhabiculture.ae