DCT Abu Dhabi announces agenda of seventh edition of Culture Summit Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, 15th April, 2025 (WAM) — The Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced the key panels and sessions for the seventh edition of Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, the leading global forum to be held from 27th to 29th April 2025 at Manarat Al Saadiyat.

This year’s summit, held under the theme “Culture for Humanity and Beyond,” will bring together an exceptional group of renowned thought leaders, policymakers, celebrated artists, and creative innovators to explore the intersection between culture, technology, and global governance.

The summit, held over three days, will pave the way for critical dialogue focused on collectively rethinking the concept of human emancipation and humanity through a diverse range of keynote speeches, creative conversations, panel discussions, artistic talks, and a series of bespoke workshops tailored to align with the summit’s discussions.

Participants will also seek common ground to build a shared sustainable future, with the summit generating new perspectives on reimagining tomorrow as outdated ways of thinking fade.

On this occasion, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said, “We at DCT Abu Dhabi are proud to once again bring together our local and international partners across culture, design, technology, and more, for the seventh edition of Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, to continue building on the progress we have made in identifying how culture can drive positive change.”

He added that through the Saadiyat Cultural District, “we are able together to explore the summit’s theme ‘Culture for Humanity and Beyond,’ as we all strive to identify and unify new perspectives on the power of creative and artistic endeavours in achieving positive change during a time of unprecedented technological shifts.”

For her part, Rita Aoun, Executive Director of the Culture Sector at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, stated that Culture Summit Abu Dhabi has succeeded in establishing itself as a leading global platform that brings together leaders, artists, thinkers, creators, and innovators from around the world to exchange perspectives and envision the future of cultural policy and the creative industries.

She added that the theme of this edition, “Culture for Humanity and Beyond,” reflects the message of the Culture Sector at DCT Abu Dhabi, which goes beyond preserving and promoting cultural assets to harnessing the transformative power of culture to create positive change in communities, drive progress, promote mutual understanding among peoples, and open new horizons for building a promising future for coming generations.

The summit sessions will include keynote addresses by Mo Gawdat, author and former Chief Business Officer at Google X; philosopher and scholar Susan Buck-Morss; Professor Iyad Rahwan, Director of the Center for Humans and Machines at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Sir William Sargent, co-founder of Framestore; Glenn Lowry, Director of the Museum of Modern Art; and Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director and Chief Curator at Zeitz MOCAA.

The summit will also feature an exceptional series of creative conversations, including in-depth discussions with award-winning creatives such as global designer Thomas Heatherwick, costume designer Colleen Atwood, data aesthetics and machine intelligence artist Refik Anadol, artist Ralph Nauta, and visual artist Ayoung Kim, as well as deep conversations between philanthropist Maja Hoffmann and architect Hashim Sarkis, and filmmaker Sir John Akomfrah with artist Awan Amkpa, fashion designer Thebe Magugu, and architect Mariam Issoufou.

A series of sessions will also focus on the increasing impact of artificial intelligence on creativity and the digital world.

These sessions include topics such as “AI Revolution: Redefining Creativity in the Age of Machines,” “The Rise of AI in Creative Industries,” “Should Governments Regulate AI to Compensate the Creative Industries?”, “The Double-Edged Sword of AI in Cinema,” “The Ownership Dilemma: Safeguarding Music in a Digital-First World,” “Tuning in to the Future: Music, AI, and Learning,” and “Transmission by Avatar: From Oral to Digital Knowledge.”

The summit’s opening day will feature a panel discussion titled “Bridging the Cultural Gap: The Role of Culture in Shaping Global Governance,” which reflects the first day’s sub-theme “Reshaping the Cultural Landscape.” The panel will include speakers such as Jenny Shipley, former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Iveta Radičová, former Prime Minister of Slovakia; and Cassam Uteem, former President of Mauritius. The discussion will focus on the importance of including culture in multilateral processes and strategies for integrating cultural dimensions into UN-related frameworks in preparation for major cultural events like MONDIACULT 2025.

The summit agenda also includes other keynote sessions, including “A Conversation: About Jazz, Humanity and Beyond” with trailblazing jazz musician and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock and jazz enthusiast, journalist, and Financial Times CEO John Ridding; and “Creative Expression at a Time of Disruption,” moderated by Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief of The National, with speakers including Paolo Petrocelli, Head of Dubai Opera, and award-winning jewelry designer Lama Hourani. Another session co-organised with the UAE Ministry of Culture is titled “From Ruins to Resilience: A New Era of Heritage Rehabilitation,” featuring speakers such as architect Wael Al Awar, architect Abdalla Almulla, poet and artist Alia Al Shamsi, designer Omar Al Gurg, artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan, writer Yolanda Castaño, and writer Andrea Cote.

The summit will include global partners such as UNESCO, Economist Impact, the Design Museum, Google, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, and the Recording Academy.

Other partners include Image Nation Abu Dhabi, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), Cultural Foundation, The National, Club de Madrid, Abrahamic Family House, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Berklee Abu Dhabi, Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, Institut Français, Institut du Monde Arabe, the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, teamLab, Maktaba, House of Artisans, and the Herbie Hancock Jazz Institute.