- The programme
The world needs
intelligent cities, now
How cities navigate intelligence – human and machine – will determine the progress we make in enabling thriving urban communities, expanding economic opportunity, building urban resilience and strengthening quality of life.
Shaping urban intelligence in a city-scale lab
Leaders convene at Expo City Dubai, working in focused groups to interrogate what genuinely makes a city work and what it takes for a city to become truly intelligent
Building outcomes-led coalitions on a global scale
Leaders bring the city voice to the World Governments Summit, drawing on Dubai’s oldest traditions of dialogue to develop joint commitments on the future of the intelligent city
Bridging the two sides of urban development
Cities and urban solution providers take the City Hall Stage at the World Governments Summit, as Expo City Dubai connects urban priorities around the world with the capital and capability to deliver them
In Dubai, AI, sustainability
and quality of life are
inseparable agendas
The AI mandate
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has directed the transformation of 50 per cent of UAE government services to agentic AI within two years
Climate leadership
At COP28 in Expo City Dubai, nearly 200 nations adopted the UAE Consensus, establishing the first global agreement within the UNFCCC framework to triple renewable energy capacity
Quality of life
The Dubai Plan 2033 makes wellbeing a policy instrument, with 200 projects, measurable targets and a dedicated delivery office
Around the world, AI is now
part of the urban conversation
Five insights from constant engagement with city leaders worldwide show where that conversation stands and inform our programme.
Engaging with AI is non-negotiable.
The only question is how
No leader disputes that AI must be engaged with. What remains unresolved is how to navigate it, whether at the earliest stages of adoption or deploying operationally at infrastructure scale.
Cities want to talk about purpose
Standalone AI framing draws scepticism from leaders. The value lands when AI is anchored to a concrete challenge: climate financing, service delivery, infrastructure.
Data remains fundamental to any progress
Every leader working with AI says the same thing: data is the foundational asset. Cities looking to pilot or model AI solutions have to resolve their data questions first, because nothing scales without it.
Private sector partnership is critical for cities looking to get ahead
Business is moving fast on AI and investors are already backing many of the solutions cities need. Cities that seek and build partnerships early will be able to accelerate their AI objectives and urban development agendas.
A people-first approach to AI adoption is the mandate
Leaders are adamant: AI must empower people and protect community wellbeing. Delivering this consistently requires a shared commitment to human-centred solutions, and cities are looking to each other for what that means in practice.
- Programme objectives
At the World Majlis,
the conversation moves
from ambition to outcome
Prepare cities
for what’s next
Every aspect of the programme is built to help city leaders deliver their own urban agendas. City governments and institutions participating in the World Majlis walk away with practical, implementable solutions they can apply to their local contexts
Scale intelligent
solutions
The World Majlis puts solutions and mandates in one room. Our programme provides a structured business development and partnership ecosystem for city leaders, investors and business executives actively seeking to source or provide intelligent solutions for urban development priorities
Design for the full
human experience
We believe AI must expand human potential rather than displace it. Our programme, shaped by the UAE’s replicable model for agentic AI adoption, centres human capability, agency and judgement, advancing an urban intelligence future that improves quality of life
- The tracks
Four tracks to a prosperous, equitable and resilient urban future
- The inputs that determine a city’s economic position (data, talent, infrastructure and the ecosystems that connect them)
- Research institutions, innovation districts and the partnerships that build productive urban economies
- How mid-sized and emerging cities compete, participate and protect what matters in a rapidly shifting global landscape
- The decisions cities must make now about ownership, interoperability and infrastructure that cannot easily be undone
- Mobility, energy, health and the integrated systems that power how cities function and grow
- Financing and procuring next-generation urban infrastructure when resources are constrained
- Accountability, transparency and what it means to be responsible for systems that make decisions affecting people’s lives
- Regulatory design, setting standards, creating space for experimentation and keeping pace with change
- Cities as global actors: the influence they hold, the obligations that follow and what city networks can deliver
- Wellbeing as a policy commitment: what it takes to make a city a place people genuinely choose
- Designing for the full range of human experience and the diversity of communities that cities serve
- Public services built around the life of the resident and the journeys people take through the city
- Programme outputs
Accelerating the rise of intelligent cities
Every conversation at the World Majlis is designed to produce specific, attributable outputs, giving cities models to adopt, investment pathways to explore and an urban intelligence ecosystem to draw on in service of their respective needs and opportunities
Advancing
urban transformation
at a global scale
The World Majlis will amplify real-world implementation models from cities and institutions with solutions and initiatives that can be adopted by others.
- Case studies
- Pilot reports
- Policy papers
- Toolkits
The global stage for
urban projects, procurement pipelines and city solutions
Hosted by the World Majlis at the World Governments Summit, the City Hall Stage will spotlight investment and partnership opportunities to a global audience of city leaders, investors, development finance institutions and technology providers
City Cohort
A global coalition of cities committed to advancing intelligent urban transformation through collaboration, knowledge exchange and practical action. Engaged beyond the World Majlis, the cohort is an always-on platform for year-round collaboration on shared urban priorities
Urban Readiness Report
The flagship publication capturing the key insights and expert recommendations emerging from the global convening of leaders shaping the future of cities. The report serves as a practical resource for city leaders and urban practitioners around the world
Partnership opportunities
The World Majlis is delivered in partnership with leading public, private, multilateral and knowledge institutions carefully selected for their proven commitment to advancing a more intelligent future for cities around the world
