Presight has gathered AI founders, investors, government officials and technology executives in Abu Dhabi for its inaugural Future Forum, putting the commercial deployment of artificial intelligence at the centre of the conversation just before AI Everything Abu Dhabi 2026.
The invite-only gathering took place at the Energy Centre Abu Dhabi on October 5, one day before AI Everything Abu Dhabi opens at ADNEC Centre. Rather than treating AI purely as a technology story, Presight is pushing a more practical question: what does it actually take to turn promising AI into something governments and companies can deploy, trust and scale?
That means putting people from different sides of the market in the same room. Customers, investors, infrastructure providers, technology companies, government stakeholders and AI founders all have a part in moving emerging systems beyond demonstrations and into operational environments.
Future Forum Focuses on Moving AI Into the Real World
Presight designed the Future Forum around one of the biggest gaps in the AI market: there is no shortage of prototypes, but getting those technologies into production remains much harder. The discussions focused on infrastructure, investment, partnerships and market access, all of which are needed to move AI systems from early-stage innovation into pilots, commercial agreements and larger deployments.
For startups, the format also creates direct contact with potential customers and investors instead of separating showcase events from the people who may actually buy, fund or deploy the technology. Presight CEO Thomas Pramotedham described the forum as a meeting point for founders, investors, government leaders and industry decision-makers, with the aim of connecting promising technology with practical applications.
Presight Launches FutureSight Platform
The gathering also marked the launch of FutureSight, Presight’s new platform for identifying, investing in and incubating emerging AI companies and technologies. The initiative broadens the company’s earlier accelerator activity and gives Presight a more structured way to discover promising capabilities before they reach full commercial scale.
FutureSight is designed to connect startups with Presight’s business network, technology partners and potential customers. It also opens routes to investment, commercial opportunities and deployment. The approach goes beyond the usual accelerator model because it links startup development more closely with buyers, infrastructure providers and institutional investors.
12 AI Companies Take the Stage in Abu Dhabi
FutureSight Cohort II brought 12 international AI companies into the forum after Presight selected them from 376 applications across 62 countries. The companies work across areas including AI infrastructure, safety, smart cities, climate intelligence, healthcare, critical infrastructure and digital assessment.
The cohort includes AIM Intelligence, TheStage AI, MangoBoost, Featherless AI, WingBits, AIRMO, Trust Exam, Dtonic, AITRICS, FlyNex, FortyGuard and rahd·AI. Their participation was not limited to pitching. The companies were given opportunities to meet investors, customers and technology partners and explore possible pilots, partnerships and commercial deployments.
Microsoft, G42, Mubadala Capital and Other Leaders Join Discussions
The Future Forum also brought senior leaders from major technology, investment and AI organisations into the discussion. Participants included executives from G42, Microsoft UAE, Inception, Space42, Botim, Shorooq, BECO Capital, Plug and Play, Mubadala Capital and ADNOC Drilling.
The conversations centred on a point that is becoming harder to ignore as AI spending accelerates. Technology alone does not create a functioning AI economy. Companies need access to compute, funding, customers, regulation and practical routes to deployment. Bringing those groups together in one setting gives startups a clearer path from development to market.
Abu Dhabi Is Building Around Commercial AI Deployment
Abu Dhabi is increasingly positioning itself as more than a buyer of artificial intelligence. The emirate is building an ecosystem where AI companies can access capital, infrastructure, government customers and international market opportunities.
Presight has already been working in that direction through a series of partnerships involving startup acceleration, smart-city applications, agentic AI and international collaboration. Its agreements with South Korea’s Gyeonggido Business & Science Accelerator and Dtonic, for example, focused on market access, startup development and AI-powered data infrastructure.
The company has also partnered with the Abu Dhabi Chamber on plans to extend sovereign agentic AI capabilities across more than 102,000 registered SMEs. FutureSight adds another layer by giving Presight a way to identify emerging companies earlier and connect them with real-world opportunities.
Future Forum Sets the Stage for AI Everything Abu Dhabi 2026
The timing of the Future Forum is deliberate. It took place immediately before AI Everything Abu Dhabi 2026, which runs from October 6 to 7 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi and brings together technology companies, policymakers, investors, researchers and enterprise leaders.
That creates a natural bridge between a smaller, targeted forum and a much larger international AI event. Conversations started inside Future Forum can continue across AI Everything Abu Dhabi, giving participating companies more opportunities to connect with investors, customers and industry partners.
The wider signal is also clear. The AI conversation is moving away from simply proving that the technology works. The more difficult questions now involve deployment, infrastructure, sovereignty, accountability and commercial scale. Presight’s Future Forum is built around that shift.
Sources
Zawya — Presight convenes AI, technology, investment and government leaders ahead of AI Everything
https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/events-conferences/presight-convenes-ai-technology-investment-and-government-leaders-ahead-of-ai-everything-1509712
Presight — South Korea’s GBSA and Dtonic Sign Strategic Agreements with Presight to Advance Global AI Collaboration
https://www.presight.ai/news/south-koreas-gbsa-and-dtonic-sign-strategic-agreements-with-presight-to-advance-global-ai-collaboration-1
CXO Insight Middle East — AI Everything Abu Dhabi 2026: Presight convenes AI, technology, investment and government leaders
https://www.cxoinsightme.com/future/tech/ai-everything-abu-dhabi-2026-presight-convenes-ai-technology-investment-and-government-leaders/
AI Everything Global
https://app.aieverythingglobal.com/
