Gitex Europe to focus on military cyber attacks and humanoid robots

Three-day Berlin event gets under way from Wednesday

Visitors and robots meet at the Government of Dubai stand on the first day of Gitex Global 2024 held at DWTC in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

The global expansion of one of Dubai’s conference circuit success stories continues next week as Gitex Europe gets under way in Berlin from Wednesday.

Technology is at the heart of the three-day exhibition, with a strong focus on Artificial Intelligence and its interaction with public services and government operations.

The Gitex Europe x Ai Everything event will feature international speakers on cybersecurity, the military and defence, as well as how technology is addressing environmental challenges around the world.

The event will be held at the Messe Berlin exhibition grounds, and follows previous editions of Gitex that have taken place in Morocco, Nigeria, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Start-up companies heavily feature in the show, as up-and-coming tech firms vie for investment into their products and services.

Action to action Robotics at the Redington stand on the first day of Gitex Global 2024 held at DWTC in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, director general of Digital Dubai, will be speaking at the conference to discuss how technology and AI has been implemented in the UAE, and how expertise can be shared with the world.

“We attach exceptional importance to global partnerships, as they are key to our strategy to ease the lives of people and businesses, and to realise our vision of digitalising life in Dubai,” he said.

“Global engagement has always been a cornerstone of Dubai’s digital transformation journey, as reflected in our active participation in international platforms and events like Gitex Europe.”

Mr Al Mansoori will be speaking on AI first nations at the Global Leaders summit on Wednesday, May 21.

The Dubai Pavilion will feature 12 key government and private entities including Digital Dubai, Dubai Police, the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai Civil Defence, DIFC Courts, the Dubai Electronic Security Centre, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and Dubai Customs.

Previous Gitex events have included world firsts - such as a look inside Morocco's home grown off-road vehicle produced by Neo Motors at the first Gitex Africa exhibition in 2023.

Eco-friendly car on show at Gitex Africa - in pictures

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  The $20,000 Neo Motors jeep on show at Gitex Africa. All Photos: Neo Motors

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  It is the only Moroccan car to be solely produced in the country and is set to become the pride of the nation.

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  Developers hope Neo Motors can break into the African market and offer a boost to the Moroccan economy.

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  Neo’s $15 million production plant in Ain Aouda is expected to produce 27,000 a year once fully operational.

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  The plant will create 600 jobs. Components for the Neo will be manufactured immediately to minimise costs.

Highlights of the upcoming Berlin show may include insight into how the German military is protecting against cyberattacks, and the merits of humanoid robots and how they could interact with everyday life.

Other speakers include Stuart Frost, who is head of enterprise security and risk management with the UK government, who will be joining a panel discussion on the role of AI in cybersecurity policy.