Agenda Day 3: AI for the Digital Economy


Day 1: AI for Climate Science
Day 2: AI for Health Sciences
Day 3: AI For the Digital Economy
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Session Agenda

Sessions – AI for the Digital Economy

08:30 AM - 08:55 AM
Breakfast & Networking
08:55 AM - 09:00 AM
Opening Remarks
Speaker: Horst Simon, Director, ADIA Lab
09:00 AM - 09:40 AM
AI and Productivity
Speaker: Guido Imbens, Nobel Laureate, The Applied Econometrics Professor and Professor of Economics, Stanford University

Abstract:
The presentation will explore recent economic research on the impact of AI on the economy. It will examine the sectors in which AI is being adopted, where it is making an impact, and highlight notable success stories. It will also discuss how the adoption of AI affects employment for new entrants to the labour market as well as established workers.

09:40 AM - 10:20 AM
From Falcon to the Future: Driving Technological Transformation in the UAE and Beyond
Speaker: Najwa Aaraj, Chief Executive Officer, Technology Innovation Institute (TII), Abu Dhabi

Abstract:
Artificial Intelligence is now the cornerstone of global technological transformation, powering innovation across economies and industries. In the UAE and the wider region, AI is not only accelerating progress but also shaping sovereign capabilities and knowledge-driven growth. At the heart of this journey is the Technology Innovation Institute’s Falcon large language model family, which has established the UAE as a global leader in open-source AI and demonstrated how frontier models can serve both local priorities and international collaboration.

10:20 AM - 10:40 AM
Coffee Break
10:40 AM - 11:20 AM
AI Agents and the Digital Economy
Speaker: Alex "Sandy" Pentland, Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, Stanford University & MIT

Abstract:
Companies are rushing to create lightweight, application specific AI models that will act relatively autonomously to carry out high-level instructions of humans. Networks of these agents allow very liquid and novel types of investment, but also open up new opportunities for fraud and unfair competition.

11:20 AM - 12:00 PM
Materials for the Future
Speaker: Konstantin Novoselov, Nobel Laureate, Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor, National University of Singapore

Abstract:
A number of challenges of the modern world could potentially be resolved at a low level with innovative materials. However, new types of materials need to be designed for such applications, incorporating characteristics of biological systems such as self-healing capabilities, memory functions, and the ability to evolve differently depending on external conditions. This presentation will discuss methodologies to design such artificial living systems and explore their areas of application. In particular, it will consider the case of a spiral economy, where the extraction of carbon from the atmosphere in advanced functional forms and its utilisation in the construction industry could allow significant reductions in CO₂ emissions. Another example will highlight the use of new materials for novel, beyond–von Neumann computational solutions, enabling a significant reduction in the power consumption of modern data centres.

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
AI for Global Cooperation and Dialogue
Speakers: Carme Artigas, Co-Chair United Nations AI Advisory Body, former Spain’s Secretary of State for Digitalization and AI, and Michael McQuade, Director of the Tech and Geo Project, The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard

Abstract:
The advent of sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed almost every sector of scientific investigation. The fields of negotiation and diplomacy will be no different. Mastering the dynamics of these fields has historically required a complex combination of advanced human capabilities: data collection, analytic reasoning, historical research, strategy generation, adversarial simulations, and multi-agent strategic optimization. These are precisely the kinds of tasks at which sophisticated AI systems can potentially excel. This talk will discuss an effort in this area at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs’ Program on Emerging Technology, Scientific Advancement, and Global Policy to develop conceptual frameworks and technical tools that will enable intelligent non-human agents to work alongside humans in negotiation and diplomacy.

12:30 PM - 01:30 PM
Lunch Break

Parallel Sessions

01:30 PM - 03:10 PM
Breakout Session A:
The Digital Transformation of Money and Economy
Speakers: Alexander Lipton, Christina Mesropian, Francesco Grigoli
Breakout Session B:
Robust AI Techniques for the Digital Economy
Speakers: Shafi Goldwasser, Michael Wolf, Thorsten Neumann, Davor Svetinovic
Breakout Session C:
Infrastructure for Digital Economy and Finance
Speakers: Juan Corchado, Jonathan Ledgard, Alexei Kondratyev, Thomas Hardjono

03:10 PM - 03:25 PM
Coffee & Networking
03:25 PM - 03:35 PM
Award Ceremony: ADIA Lab 2025 Best Paper Award in Financial Data Science
Horst Simon, Massimo Morini
03:35 PM - 04:15 PM
Panel Discussion: AI and Economics - What to Prepare for?
Guido Imbens, Sandy Pentland, Carme Artigas, Shafi Goldwasser, Alexander Lipton, Juan Corchado
04:15 PM - 04:30 PM
Closing Remarks
Horst Simon, Director, ADIA Lab
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