Forum Agenda

Discover how governments, industries, and innovators are shaping the future amid the rapid evolution of advanced and frontier technologies. Each session presents bold ideas, actionable strategies, and fresh perspectives designed to inspire and inform. Your active participation will help drive insightful conversations and meaningful outcomes.  We invite you to join us to contribute your insights and help shape the dialogue.

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Welcome and Opening Remarks

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

10:00–10:05

Keynote Speech

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

10:05–10:10

  • Responsible Tech & Ethical Frontiers

From Silos to Systems: Governing Convergence Across Borders, Sectors, and Societies

As Industry 4.0 and frontier technologies, such as AI, quantum computing, biomanufacturing, and automation reshape sectors and societies, nations find themselves at a strategic crossroads. Industrial competitiveness, economic resilience, and social progress are no longer the domain of isolated policy silos but the result of interconnected systems that must be governed coherently and inclusively.

This panel will examine how leaders are rethinking governance in the age of convergence from national coordination to global cooperation, and from infrastructure to inclusion. It will spotlight strategies for synchronizing public policy, institutional design, investment, and international collaboration to ensure that transformative technologies deliver sustainable and equitable impact.

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

10:15–11:00

  • Main Theatre
  • Beyond Digital

Neurotechnology: From Mind to Machine

This session examines how neurotech is evolving from clinical applications to mainstream systems, raising urgent questions around privacy, consent, enhancement, inequality, and even identity. What are the pathways for responsible development?

11:00–11:30

  • Hub Stage
  • Strategic Resources for the 4IR Economy

Securing Critical Minerals for AI, Energy, Semiconductors, and Batteries

This session explores the multi-dimensional challenges of securing critical minerals for the 4IR, examining extraction strategies, geopolitical dynamics, and opportunities for international collaboration and innovation across the value chain.  

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

11:45–12:15

  • Hub Stage
  • Future Proofing Society

Future of Education

This high-level dialogue brings together public and private leaders to confront a central question: Is technology truly transforming education, or merely digitizing the status quo? The panel will probe how the country can reshape learning for future readiness and highlight how Saudi Arabia’s education reform agenda aligns with research initiatives and global development values (UNESCO).

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

12:15–13:00

  • Main Theatre

  • Responsible Tech & Ethical Frontiers

Navigating the Ethical Dilemmas of Frontier Technologies

Addressing the urgent ethical, legal, and societal implications of Generative AI, neurotechnology, and synthetic media, this session will explore:

What safeguards are needed to ensure autonomy and mental privacy? How can we prevent manipulation and misinformation in an age of hyperreal content? And how can business and government lead responsibly when the rules are still being written?

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

12:15–13:00

  • NEOM
  • The Future of Industry

PeerLink: Connecting SMEs for Impact

This session introduces Peer Link, a collaborative environment designed to accelerate SME digitalization by lowering participation barriers, enabling trusted knowledge exchange, and fostering insight-driven collaboration. Peer Link empowers SMEs to learn from one another, leverage proven practices, and co-develop solutions in an open, peer-led network, enhancing their ability to adopt and benefit from emerging technologies.  

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

14:00–14:45

  • Main Theatre
  • Future Proofing Society

Inclusive by Design: Advancing Gender Equity in the Tech Economy

How can governments, corporations, and research institutions hardwire gender equity into the DNA of tomorrow’s tech economy? This topic will be examined during the session through compelling case studies, actionable policy frameworks, and ecosystem-level interventions, highlighting successful models that advance women’s participation, leadership, and entrepreneurship in technology on a global scale.

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

14:00–14:45

  • NEOM
  • The Intelligent Economy

Deep Tech and Digitalization: Catalysts for Global Competitiveness

Strategic investments in AI, quantum computing, edge computing, biotechnology, and robotics are rapidly redefining global competitiveness. This session will examine how governments and industry stakeholders can co-invest, de-risk, and scale these transformative technologies across national and regional ecosystems.

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

14:30–15:00

  • Hub Stage
  • Strategic Resources for the 4IR Economy

Strategic Minerals and Semiconductor Innovations

This session will explore how countries can secure resilient access to these resources while building local innovation capacity. Speakers will discuss how to de-risk supply chain bottlenecks, foster cross-border R&D and manufacturing, and accelerate innovation in areas like AI-driven mineral extraction, energy-efficient chip design, and advanced material alternatives. The session will highlight practical approaches to building secure, sustainable, and future-ready ecosystems for critical inputs.

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

15:00–15:45

  • NEOM
  • The Intelligent Economy

Converging Frontiers: How Advanced Sciences are Forging Future Economies

As the boundaries between disciplines dissolve, a new wave of economic transformation is emerging driven by the convergence of gaming industries, space technologies, sustainable technologies, financial technologies, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and biotechnologies. This session explores how these deep science clusters are not only enabling new industries but also reshaping global market dynamics, sovereign capabilities, and long-term competitiveness. it will discuss the strategic investments, regulatory foresight, and innovation ecosystems needed to unlock inclusive growth, especially in emerging markets.

15:15–16:00

  • Main Theatre
  • The Intelligent Economy

Overcoming Supply Chain Challenges: AI, Automation & Localization Strategies

Advancements in AI, automation, and localization are collectively transforming the manufacturing and distribution of goods. AI enhances the ability to predict disruptions and supports more informed decision-making, while automation increases speed and minimizes manual labor. Localization brings production closer to end markets, improving control and mitigating risks. Together, these strategies are enabling countries such as Saudi Arabia to develop supply chains that are more resilient, efficient, and aligned with national objectives. This session will showcase real-world case studies, key lessons, and examine the factors required to scale these innovations effectively.

16:15–17:00

  • NEOM

Day 1 Recap

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

9:55–10:00

  • Beyond Digital

The Quantum Advantage: Trust, Security, and Global Influence in the 4IR Era

In the next decade, quantum technologies won’t just power breakthroughs in science; they will redefine the meaning of trust in a digital world. Cryptography, the invisible infrastructure that secures everything from our personal messages to global financial systems, and beyond, is on the brink of disruption. With it, so is the balance of digital power. As we move towards a post-quantum cryptography world, regions, nations, and companies alike are facing similar questions: Who controls the standards? Who can secure their data for the next 50 years? And who gets to shape the rules of this new digital landscape?

This plenary explores the strategic implications of quantum for global governance, cyber resilience, and economic sovereignty, and how nations, like Saudi Arabia, are positioning themselves not just as adopters but as shapers of this landscape.

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

10:00–10:45

  • Main Theatre
  • Future Proofing Society

The Sky Stack: where Drones, Satellites, and AI Intersect

As emerging technologies reshape how we move goods, people, and data, airspace is becoming a critical layer of global infrastructure. The session explores how drone-enabled logistics, smart airspace systems, and low-orbit satellite services are converging to redefine connectivity and commerce.

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

10:30–11:15

  • AlUla
  • The Intelligent Economy

The Brain Economy: Unlocking Human Potential in the Age of Cognitive Capital

Focusing on the shift from physical to cognitive capital, this session examines how governments, companies, and educators must reframe their investment strategies. It will also explore the intersection of AI, neuroscience, and human-centered design in widespread human wellbeing.

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

10:45–11:30

  • NEOM
  • Future Proofing Society

Builders of the Now: Youth Voices Shaping the Age of AI

This session brings together the Global Shapers Alumni who are actively shaping the future of Artificial Intelligence across product development, scientific research, and grassroots innovation. The speakers will and provide a realistic perspective on how young leaders are influencing AI ecosystems today. The session will integrate personal, ethical, and system-level perspectives, providing the audience with a comprehensive understanding of how to develop technology that is both impactful and responsible.

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

11:30–12:45

  • AlUla
  • Responsible Tech & Ethical Frontiers

Circular Economy Strategies for Resource Efficiency and Long-term Supply Chain

Circular economy strategies offer a pathway to decouple growth from resource extraction while boosting innovation, competitiveness, and resilience. This panel will dive into how circularity can be operationalized in clean tech, electronics, and manufacturing, leveraging design, policy, and advanced recovery methods to reduce waste and material lifespans.

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

11:30–12:00

  • Hub Stage
  • The Future of Industry

Smart Factories and Digital Twins: AI-Driven Efficiency & Industrial Transformation

This session will explore how pioneers are deploying AI, digital twins, and immersive technologies, including the industrial metaverse, to reshape design, production, and maintenance. It will draw on global lighthouse examples, regional champions, and live factory-floor demonstrations to highlight impact, scalability, and the future of human-machine collaboration.

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

11:45–12:30

  • NEOM
  • Beyond Digital

Agentic & Embodied AI: Redefining Interaction, Mobility, and Labor

This session explores how Agentic and Embodied AI systems that act autonomously and interact physically with the world are shifting AI from passive tools to active collaborators across healthcare, logistics, and mobility. It will highlight real-world use cases and examine the ethical, labor, and governance challenges tied to their rise, focusing on how to ensure these technologies remain safe, inclusive, and aligned with human values

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

12:00–12:45

  • Main Theatre

Closing Remarks

Speakers

Daniel Chen

Co-Founder, FutureCompute (USA)

12:50–13:00

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