News DeskDubai, UAE: Step Dubai 2026 concluded a highly successful opening day, bringing together more than 8,000 founders, investors, policymakers, and technology leaders to explore the growing influence of artificial intelligence on the global economy. Held in strategic partnership with Dubai Internet City, the region’s leading technology hub and part of TECOM Group PJSC, the event centred around this year’s theme, “Intelligence Everywhere: The AI Economy.”
The first day reinforced Step’s reputation as a leading regional platform for AI-driven collaboration and innovation, featuring discussions on infrastructure, finance, policy development, entrepreneurship, and human-centred artificial intelligence.
A key highlight of the day was Step’s announcement of its transformation into an AI-first organisation. The initiative reflects the event’s broader commitment to integrating artificial intelligence across the tech ecosystem. Step revealed it is deploying proprietary, in-house AI applications to support event planning, community engagement, and data-driven decision-making.
Supporting this strategy, Step introduced several AI-powered tools, including the Step Event App, which offers attendees schedules, speaker profiles, and live updates. The event also launched a WhatsApp AI Event Assistant to provide real-time responses, personalised recommendations, and guidance. Additionally, Step unveiled “Buzz,” a community marketing platform designed to amplify content and connections, and “Uniqorn,” a matchmaking solution linking start-ups with investors to facilitate curated business meetings.
Ammar Al Malik, Executive Vice President of Commercial at TECOM Group and Managing Director of Dubai Internet City, emphasised the emirate’s commitment to fostering innovation. He noted that artificial intelligence is transforming how companies operate and scale, adding that Dubai Internet City continues to provide infrastructure and a collaborative ecosystem that supports sustainable growth and strengthens Dubai’s position as a regional technology leader.
Step co-founder and CEO Ray Dargham highlighted Dubai’s strategic importance in the global AI landscape. He said the event demonstrated strong alignment among founders, investors, corporations, and government entities, positioning Dubai as a key centre for shaping the future of the AI economy over the next decade.
The opening session featured a high-profile discussion between Dargham and Adeo Ressi, founder of the Founder Institute, focusing on the impact of AI on venture capital and modern company-building strategies.
Global technology companies including GenSpark, which recently announced $155 million in annual recurring revenue, and Atlassian also contributed insights on deploying AI across enterprise platforms and products.
Policy discussions formed another central pillar of the event. A session moderated by Fadi Ghandour brought together former government ministers from across the region to explore the role of AI and innovation policy in driving economic growth in the Levant and North Africa.
The conference featured four dedicated tracks — Founders & Funders, AI in Finance, The AI Stack, and Human First — examining practical AI applications, investment trends, infrastructure development, ethical challenges, and the evolving future of work.
Startup incubator in5, established by TECOM Group, is showcasing emerging innovators at the event alongside D/Quarters, a new ecosystem partner offering flexible co-working solutions, including an outdoor workspace concept introduced during the conference.
Now in its 14th year, Step has supported thousands of start-ups worldwide. Step Dubai 2026 hosts over 200 speakers and provides access to an investor network representing $12.6 billion in deployable capital.
The event continues until 12 February, with organisers promising further AI-focused announcements, sessions, and networking opportunities in the coming days.
