Prime Highlights-
- Dubai launches the Create AI Agents Championship, a global contest for systems that carry out tasks and make decisions on their own.
- Crown Prince Hamdan announces the switch, saying Dubai aims to become the first city to lead innovation in AI agents.
Key Facts-
- The championship has drawn 15,564 applications from 153 countries since 2023, including 9,754 this year.
- The AI Agent of the Year winner receives around €232,000 (AED 1 million).
Background-
Dubai has given its Create Apps Championship a new direction. The event will now run as the Create AI Agents Championship, inviting innovators worldwide to build AI systems that complete tasks and make decisions independently. Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum revealed the update and said the city wants to be the first to lead innovation in this area.
Since starting as a local contest in 2023, the championship has gathered 15,564 entries from 153 countries. This year brought in 9,754 of them, a total higher than the first two editions together. Participants have built 1,700 prototypes and more than 140 live apps.
Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, shared that one team traveled 55 hours from Nicaragua to take part. He said Dubai gives innovators a strong platform to serve economies around the world, and that anyone with an idea can compete on equal terms.
Participants will identify a genuine need, create an AI agent to address it and outline a path to a working business. People of every age can join, and coding skills are not required, so teenagers can take part alongside start-ups and established companies. Al Gergawi said the aim is to help innovators move from concept to launch in under six months.
Rakesh Mavath, co-founder of Takeem and a winner of the first edition, said agentic AI makes products easier for consumers to use.
Each of the four category winners will take home around €128,000 (AED 550,000). The AI Agent of the Year will receive around €232,000 (AED 1 million).
