Today's Edition
DUBAI (ALETIHAD)
The fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world’s largest event dedicated to shaping the content creation economy, has concluded in Dubai after three days of high-level discussions, drawing record participation and global digital engagement.
Organised by the UAE Government Media Office, the summit was held from January 9 to 11 across Emirates Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre and the Museum of the Future, under the theme 'Content for Good'.
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the fifth edition of the summit will take place from January 8 to 10, 2027.
It will feature an agenda aligned with the latest global trends in content creation, while continuing to encourage creators and influencers to produce impactful, inspiring content and reinforce the UAE’s global leadership in digital media and content economy.
The next edition builds on the success of the global summit, which has witnessed steady growth over the past four years and recorded massive participation of influencers and content creators.
The official hashtag #1BillionSummit ranked among the most followed hashtags worldwide in this year’s edition, generating millions of views and engagements.
Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of UAE Cabinet Affairs, said, “The summit achieved exceptional leaps in its fourth edition, positioning the UAE as a global leader in the content economy with a special focus on meaningful content that drives positive societal change.”
He added, “The summit’s success is reflected in drawing more than 30,000 attendees with over 15,000 content creators and influencers, underscoring the event’s growing international influence.”
He noted that the summit prioritised tackling urgent, pressing issues in the creator economy.
The summit’s agenda featured more than 580 keynote sessions, panel discussions, roundtables and workshops, delivered by over 500 global speakers and experts with a combined audience of more than 3.5 billion followers.
Al Gergawi said, “Strategic partnerships were announced with five major global platforms to support good content, reinforcing the summit’s core mission.”
Al Gergawi emphasised that this year’s agenda focused on the use of artificial intelligence to empower content creators with the latest tools that will help them expand their outreach.
As part of this effort, the summit launched the AI Film Award in partnership with Google Gemini, offering a grand prize of $1 million. Filmmaker Zoubeir Jlassi was declared the winner of the top prize for his film “Lily” in a special ceremony during the summit.
The competition attracted more than 30,000 participants from 116 countries. The summit also hosted specialised sessions and workshops exploring the latest AI tools shaping the future of the content industry.
Al Gergawi said that the summit’s success plays a crucial role in shaping the future and serves as a catalyst for the growth of its business in upcoming editions: “The summit, the largest event dedicated to the creator economy, reflects the UAE’s strategic direction to build a sustainable economic sector with growing opportunities.”
He added, “The vast capabilities of the UAE, robust infrastructure, the solid trust and effective strategic partnerships with leading global institutions and companies operating in this sector have formed the foundation of the success achieved by the 1 Billion Followers Summit.”
“This is the foundation we will continue to build upon to achieve further successes, gains and opportunities for the content creation industry, which we expect to continue growing, making significant leaps, and increasing its impact on the global economy.”
The summit hit record breaking numbers and initiatives through its agenda, built around two main pillars: transforming content creators into agents of positive impact, and harnessing AI to expand creative possibilities.
Among the standout initiatives was the Educator Award, launched in collaboration with TikTok, which attracted 610,000 participants and generated 320,000 videos that recorded 1.8 billion views.
The summit also announced strategic partnerships with YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, X, and Meta to further promote good digital content.
In collaboration with global creator MrBeast, the summit launched the 1 Billion Acts of Kindness campaign, encouraging creators worldwide to carry out and share community initiatives. The campaign resulted in more than 170,000 acts of kindness, generating over 100 million views within three weeks.
Twenty global content creators were selected to carry out humanitarian projects in Ghana, with support from Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and Varkey Foundation.
