DUBAI, September 2026. Ninety-four percent of organisations worldwide now expect artificial intelligence to be the single biggest driver of cybersecurity change in the coming year. That figure, drawn from the World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, captures the scale of the shift underway: the same technology hardening digital defences is simultaneously enabling faster, more sophisticated attacks. Traditional approaches, the report makes clear, no longer suffice.
It is against that backdrop that GISEC Global 2026 arrives at a pivotal moment.
The event, entering its 15th edition, moves to Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai from 16 to 18 September 2026 under the strategic theme “Cyber First: The New Digital Order.” The conference has grown 20% year-on-year, a figure that reflects surging international demand for cybersecurity innovation, collaboration and investment. This year’s gathering is expected to draw more than 25,000 cybersecurity professionals, 750-plus exhibiting brands, 350-plus expert speakers and participants from more than 180 countries, making it the world’s third largest cybersecurity event and the most influential of its kind across the Middle East and Africa.
The UAE Cyber Security Council, Dubai Electronic Security Centre (DESC), the Ministry of Interior and Dubai Police all host and endorse the event.
H.E. Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cyber Security Council, placed the conference in a wider geopolitical frame. “Artificial Intelligence, geopolitical instability and the rapid evolution of digital technologies are fundamentally reshaping the cybersecurity landscape,” he said. “As cyberthreats become increasingly sophisticated and interconnected, no single nation or organisation can address these challenges alone. The UAE is committed to fostering international collaboration, advancing cyber-resilience and building trusted digital ecosystems that enable innovation and sustainable economic growth. GISEC Global 2026 will bring together governments, industry and the global cybersecurity community to develop practical solutions that help safeguard our shared digital future.”
The conference’s centrepiece is a new Cyber First Leadership Summit, convening ministers, national cyber authorities, global CISOs and technology leaders to examine the geopolitical impact of artificial intelligence, digital sovereignty, nation-state cyberthreats and the resilience of tomorrow’s digital economies. The summit’s creation signals how far cybersecurity has travelled from its technical origins into boardrooms and government chambers.
Meanwhile, DESC is using the event to invest directly in the next generation of practitioners. H.E. Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, Chief Executive of the Dubai Electronic Security Centre, pointed to two flagship competitions returning for their second editions: the Dubai Cyber Challenge, Government Edition, and the School of Cyber Defence, both designed to give university students across the UAE the chance to demonstrate and develop their skills. “GISEC Global has consistently been an important platform for DESC to engage with the cybersecurity community, exchange expertise and advance Dubai’s cyber-resilience,” Al Shaibani said. “This year, we are building on that momentum.”
The competitions are part of a broader DESC strategy that runs from nurturing emerging talent through to strengthening the professionals already safeguarding government entities. Al Shaibani indicated that DESC’s participation this year extends beyond the competitions, with new initiatives designed to anticipate emerging challenges and deepen Dubai’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
The expanded programme reflects a threat environment that has grown considerably more complex. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, dual-use technologies, geopolitical instability and critical infrastructure resilience are all reshaping the global security agenda at once. Whether the collaboration GISEC Global 2026 promises to foster can keep pace with that acceleration is the question the September gathering will need to begin answering.