Abu Dhabi’s Sorbonne University campus will host the second edition of the Emirati-French Business Forum on September 22nd, bringing together more than 300 officials, researchers and business leaders to address the governance of artificial intelligence across two national systems.
The French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the UAE and Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi are organizing the event, titled “Prospects for Artificial Intelligence 2026.” The forum’s mandate is explicit: strengthen institutional cooperation between the UAE and France on artificial intelligence development and deployment, with structured dialogue between the decision-makers who set policy and the technical experts who build the technology.
Sovereign artificial intelligence and data protection sit at the center of the agenda. Both are areas where government mandates and oversight requirements directly determine how technology is developed, licensed and deployed. The forum will also examine artificial intelligence applications across healthcare, precision medicine, energy and infrastructure, and retail commerce, sectors where regulatory frameworks and public accountability mechanisms already govern technology adoption in both countries.
The program reflects that institutional priority. General and specialized sessions will convene officials responsible for policy implementation alongside researchers and entrepreneurs. Startup project presentations are included, as are sessions reviewing analysis on the future of bilateral cooperation and innovation. An “Innovation Village” component will showcase applications and technical solutions, giving officials and regulators a direct view of emerging capabilities and their governance implications.
Meanwhile, the forum’s attention to digital humanities signals a broader policy question: how should ethical frameworks and societal values inform the decisions of institutions deploying artificial intelligence at scale? That question sits alongside the more transactional agenda of supporting French startups seeking market access in the UAE, a process that involves regulatory conditions, investment rules and bilateral institutional arrangements.
By placing investment and industrial institutions in the same room as government representatives, organizers are creating a structured space where compliance requirements and market access conditions can be clarified rather than negotiated in isolation. The forum’s bilateral format, drawing participants from the UAE, France, Europe and the Middle East, positions it as a mechanism for aligning institutional priorities across jurisdictions, not merely a networking event.
Whether the September gathering produces concrete policy commitments or remains at the level of dialogue is the question that will determine its lasting significance for both governments.