Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Thursday, 18. September 2025
Moscow will host the third BRICS Urban Future Forum.
The
BRICS Urban Future Forum will serve as a magnet for leading global
experts — government representatives, members of the scientific and
technological community, business leaders, and opinion makers from more
than 35 countries across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin
America, and Africa. Over 320 experts will discuss priorities and
strategies for urban transformation through 2040, with a focus on the
role of technology in achieving development goals.
This year’s
Forum theme is “The Technological Framework of the City”, placing
robotic technologies at the center of the agenda. They already play a
key role in the operation of all urban services, and their importance
will only continue to grow. The rapid development of robotics,
widespread automation, and artificial intelligence is becoming the main
driver of transformation in production, labor, and social systems.
The
BRICS Urban Future Forum serves as a platform for international
exchange on building the megacities of tomorrow. Dr. Kate Barker — Chief
Futurist of NEOM, strategic advisor to the UAE government and Fortune
500 companies — will share her expertise in developing cities where
robots, artificial intelligence, and the platform economy become an
integral part of the urban environment. She will draw parallels between
projects such as NEOM and the challenges faced by today’s megacities as
they transition into a “hybrid world.” The expert will address some of
the key questions of the coming decades: new models of digital
platforms, the protection of digital sovereignty, as well as the risks
of mass robotization and the adaptation of megacities to the emergence
of robots, air taxis, and virtual services.
The discussions will
also address issues such as the evolution of technology and digital
exploitation. Yanis Varoufakis, the economist who coined the concept of
techno-feudalism, will explain how machine learning algorithms have
fueled the rise of digital platforms that are gradually replacing
traditional markets, granting their owners the power to extract “cloud
rent” — income from the use of data and online services. In his view,
this process turns the owners of such platforms into “tech overlords,”
while users, in turn, become “cloud serfs.”
Last year, the Forum
brought together 13,000 participants and became a platform for dialogue
and new partnerships in technological development aimed at creating more
sustainable, smarter, and more comfortable cities for future
generations. Important agreements were reached, including technology
transfer deals between Russian companies Informtekhnika, IBI Software,
and Digital Practices with partners in Egypt. The Skolkovo Foundation
also signed a series of cooperation agreements with DUBAI CHAMBERS,
CORPORATE GROUP — one of the UAE’s leading high-tech companies — as well
as the Game Art Pioneers gaming conglomerate.
The BRICS Urban
Future Forum will be held in Moscow for the third time on September
17-18. This year it will focus on robotic technologies and artificial
intelligence. Russia’s capital will host representatives of government,
business, the scientific and technological community, and opinion
leaders from more than 35 countries across the Middle East, Southeast
Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The Forum’s main objectives are
to exchange best practices in innovation, strengthen international
partnerships, discuss strategies for urban transformation, and showcase
technological solutions for megacities.
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Contacts
Namita Thakkar
namita@matrixdubai.com