DUBAI, 18th October, 2026 (WAM) -- Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) has unveiled details of The Challenge, one of the main concepts at Dubai Future Week, taking place from 18th to 21st November 2026 across Emirates Towers and the Museum of the Future.
Held under the theme ‘For the Human of the Future’, the event will bring together more than 10,000 participants and experts from various future-focused sectors.
The Challenge will bring together some of the world's leading talent in artificial intelligence, robotics and emerging technologies through interactive competitions that put technical skills, creativity and ideas to the test, while exploring the potential and applications of future technologies.
The platform reflects one of the central ideas behind Dubai Future Week: that technology is never the whole story. It aims to highlight the importance of talent in shaping the future by providing a practical environment to test capabilities and ideas and turn knowledge of emerging technologies into tangible applications and experiences. AI, robotics, biotechnology and advanced computing are tools, but their real value lies in how people use them to solve problems, expand opportunities, improve lives and build more future-ready societies.
The Challenge will feature the AI Grandmaster competition, returning for its third year following the global success of the Global Prompt Engineering Championship 2025, which attracted more than 3,800 applications from 125 countries.
Finalists will compete during Dubai Future Week, demonstrating their skills in various generative AI applications to produce new and distinctive content within a limited time by crafting clear and precise prompts. The competition will culminate in a final showdown, with one winner receiving a grand prize of AED1 million.
The Challenge will also host the finals of the fourth Emirates Robotics Competition, organised by Dubai Future Labs, part of Dubai Future Foundation, in partnership with Rochester Institute of Technology, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Mohammed bin Rashid Library and the American University of Sharjah.
This year's competition challenges participating teams to imagine, design and develop robotic solutions and prototypes capable of performing tasks that support the library sector. The competition brings together university teams from national and international universities across the UAE.
The Challenge sits within How We'll Innovate, one of Dubai Future Week's five tracks. The track explores the role of robotics, algorithms and machines in technological progress, alongside AI applications and innovations in quantum computing, synthetic biology, materials science and space, as well as research, development and automation.
The platform is gaining increasing importance amid rapid advances in AI, robotics, advanced computing and other technologies that are reshaping how people learn, work, communicate, innovate and live, opening new opportunities for societies and economies.
Dubai Future Week will feature a packed programme of keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops, inspiring conversations, challenges and competitions, exhibitions and future-focused experiences, closed-door meetings, side events and activities across the city.
The Week unfolds across eight main concepts: The Big Stage, The Prototype Floor, The Pitch, The Policy Room, The Challenge, Offstage, 500 Future Minds and The District.