The Emirates Group has concluded the fourth edition of ForsaTEK, its annual innovation showcase, featuring over 90 sessions and 60 technology projects, and unveiling a new academic research partnership platform.
A Platform for Bold Ideas
Held in Dubai on September 21 and 22, ForsaTEK 2026 brought together leaders and experts from technology, aviation and business to explore agentic AI, robotics and human-AI collaboration. Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, described the event as a four-year platform for testing bold ideas, several of which have since been implemented into practical solutions delivering real value for the business.
UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, welcomed by Emirates Airline President Sir Tim Clark, opened proceedings with a fireside chat on how the UAE’s ability to anticipate technological shifts strengthens its global competitiveness, stressing that AI’s value lies in its benefits to people. The programme continued with keynote sessions featuring Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing CEO Issam Kazim, Emirates Deputy President Adnan Kazim, OpenAI’s Emmanuel Marill, Soroco founder Rohan Murty, and Havas Global Chief Data & Technology Officer Dan Hagen. A live panel also featured a voice-enabled AI agent, Maryam 3.0, contributing alongside human experts including MGX Chief Investment Officer Omar Al Ismail.
New Academic Partnership and Deepened OpenAI Ties
The Group launched the Academic Research Collective (ARC), a structured research platform connecting Emirates with research-intensive universities to convert early-stage business challenges into applied research and minimum viable products, while building talent pipelines and industry-academia partnerships. Building on its OpenAI collaboration first announced at the Dubai Airshow in November 2025, the Group also outlined the next phase of that partnership, giving employees secure access to advanced AI models to streamline complex tasks and support cross-functional collaboration.
Innovation on Display
The event’s launch zone showcased projects at varying stages of maturity. ARRIVE, an in-house agentic software engineering framework built by Emirates Group IT over two years of controlled experimentation, had onboarded more than 2,000 IT team members by the end of August 2026. Emirates Service Delivery showcased virtual reality training tools and crew-facing digital platforms aimed at strengthening cabin crew readiness and service consistency. dnata Technical Services presented its Smart Hub, an automated inventory management system for MRO materials that also supports sustainability by removing an estimated 3,600 contaminated aerosol cans annually from the waste stream. Intelak, the region’s first travel and tourism-focused incubator, showcased seven start-ups continuing toward proof-of-concept development with Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism under the D33 Economic Agenda.
