DUBAI 10 February 2018: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday opened the new temporary ‘Museum of the Future’ as part of the 2018 World Government Summit that runs 11-13 February at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.
The museum will offer visitors an interactive experience about the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it will affect different aspects of life in the future, offering an exciting way to discover tomorrow’s trends and opportunities.
Accompanying Sheikh Mohammed on his tour were Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future and Chairman of the World Government Summit Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, and Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Omar bin Sultan Al Olama.
Sheikh Mohammed highlighted the fact that artificial intelligence (AI) will add US$15 trillion to the world’s GDP within a period of 12 years, and said “The Museum of the Future is a unique incubator for futuristic innovations and design… We are determined to make the UAE a major contributor to future development.”
محمد بن راشد: القمة العالمية للحكومات التي تنطلق الأحد القادم تشكل الملتقى الأكبر عالميا للحكومات مع ١٦ منظمة دولية واكبر شركات التقنية في العالم لاستشراف الجيل القادم من الحكومات pic.twitter.com/dpzLPF64qo
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 9, 2018
“The UAE government sets an example to the governments of the world in adopting technological advancements as a driver for development. AI is key when we speak about tackling future challenges,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
The Museum of the Future is a unique incubator for futuristic innovations and design, currently under construction in Dubai, UAE. It builds on over 5 years of immersive exploration of the future by the Dubai Future Foundation, the organization behind everything from the world’s first 3D printed office to the Dubai Blockchain Strategy. Opening in 2019, the Museum will become the world’s largest and most exciting way to discover tomorrow’s trends and opportunities.
Mohammed unveils ‘Edge of Government’ platform
Sheikh Mohammed also unveiled the ‘Edge of Government’ platform as part of the 6th edition of the World Government Summit which kicks off on 11-13 February 2018 in Dubai.
Organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation, the ‘Edge of Government’ encourages leaders and visitors to take a closer look at innovations and to experiment with new approaches to see how governments can effectively explore and keep abreast of an increasingly wide array of tools and options available to them.
Sheikh Mohammed stressed that governments of the future are required to adopt innovative approaches to proactively tackle challenges and develop sustainable and effective solutions for the wellbeing of citizens.
“Governments that place the wellbeing of humans at the heart of efforts, achieve progressive development and add to the journey of human advancement. We – in the UAE – believe in innovation. Therefore, we have transformed our beloved country into a global incubator for innovation, solution development, and partnership,” His Highness Sheikh Mohammed said.
The Edge of Government innovation experience will challenge visitors to think in new and often counter-intuitive ways about how to solve the most pressing public challenges of our time. The main purpose of the exhibits is to inform, trigger new thinking through an interactive experience, and most importantly inspire visitors to connect with the innovators behind the case studies showcased.
Mohammed joins ‘Walk Unified’ initiative in Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Mohammed participated in the ‘Walk Unified’ initiative at the Umm Al Emarat Park in Abu Dhabi today.
Joining Sheikh Mohammed on the two-kilometre walk were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of State Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Director General of Dubai Protocol and Hospitality Department Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Chairman of the Higher Committee of the Special Olympics World Games Mohammad Abdullah Al Junaibi, and several other officials.
Sheikh Mohammed expressed his full support to the initiative that encourages citizens to adopt a healthy lifestyle and highlights the benefits of sports activities to the health. The ‘Walk Unified’ is held every Friday at Umm Al Emarat Park in Abu Dhabi.
Furthermore, Sheikh Mohammed praised the efforts of the organising committee tasked with the preparations for hosting the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi on 14-22 March under the patronage of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Mohammed bin Rashid visits “Sustainable City” in Dubai
Earlier, Sheikh Mohammed said that the UAE’s development journey progresses according to a clear strategy and objectives, that aim to place the country at the highest levels of global competitiveness, to provide the best in class quality of life to people and achieve their happiness.
“Our vision is clear in term of establishing sustainability’s pillars as a key component of our development journey, which is part of the national agenda. We are committed to sustainability, which is a top priority that we strive to implement taking into consideration environment conservation, and balance between economic and social development, to provide people the best quality of life and ensure happiness of community,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
His Highness comments came during his visit to “The Sustainable City”, the first Net Zero Energy city in Dubai, accompanied by Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The Dh1.25 billion project, located in Dubai Land on the Al Qudra Road, is the Middle East’s first fully-fledged sustainable development, and spreads over five million square feet.
Sheikh Mohammed toured the city and was briefed about the different facilities of the project, which is the first real estate project in Dubai that focuses on the economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainability. The city features a host of initiatives to conserve resources, including energy-efficient housing designs and eco-friendly building materials. The City is designed to produce 100% of its energy needs using renewable and clean energy sources upon its completion, supporting Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 which targets to produce 75% of its energy requirements from clean sources by 2050.
The first phase of The Sustainable City, comprising of 500 villas in five residential clusters, a buffer zone, an urban farm, an equestrian centre and a mixed-use development, has around 2000 residents, with second phase of the development set to be completed before the end of this year.
Recycling stations in each cluster encourage residents to separate their waste, and the transportation strategy inspires residents to rely less on motorised transport, and more on walking and cycling. Each cluster is a car-free zone, accessible only by foot or electric buggies through narrow “sikkas” (alleyways) that link the City.
The City has ample outdoor space for leisure and recreation. Residents can participate in the City’s urban farming programme and have designated plots inside and outside 11 temperature-controlled bio domes.
Sheikh Mohammed also toured phase 2 of the City, which consists of a mixed-use zone, an institute for ecological engineering, a hospital and rehabilitation centre, a “Green” School for K-6, and an eco-hotel. The 143-rooms hotel will be a net zero energy building, where 100% of its energy needs will be met by solar power. The hotel will be supplied with fresh produce from urban farming facilities that will be incorporated into the hotel grounds, in addition to The Sustainable City Bio Domes.
The Sustainable City is considered as an open lab to promote sustainability culture, and receives thousands of students every year to learn about its unique experience, in addition to foreign delegations. The Sustainable City has already received more than 20 number of local, regional and global awards including the ‘Happiest Community’.