GISEC Global 2026 Returns to Dubai With 25,000+ Cybersecurity Leaders as AI Reshapes the Threat Landscape

GISEC Global, the Middle East and Africa's most influential cybersecurity platform, will return to Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai from 16 to 18 September, bringing together more than 25,000 cybersecurity professionals from over 180 countries as the industry confronts a rapidly evolving, AI-driven threat landscape.

Now in its 15th edition, the event is organised by inD, a joint venture between the Dubai World Trade Centre and Informa, and has expanded 20 percent year on year, reflecting what organisers describe as growing international demand for cybersecurity innovation, collaboration and investment. This year's edition runs under the theme "Cyber First: The New Digital Order" and will feature more than 750 exhibiting brands and over 350 expert speakers.

The AI backdrop driving the agenda

The event's framing leans heavily on a widening tension within the industry: artificial intelligence is simultaneously strengthening cyber defences and enabling faster, more sophisticated attacks. According to the World Economic Forum's Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, 94 percent of organisations expect AI to be the biggest driver of cybersecurity change over the coming year, while 87 percent identify AI-related vulnerabilities as the fastest-growing cyber risk.

That tension sits at the centre of this year's agenda. GISEC Global 2026 is hosted and endorsed by the UAE Cyber Security Council, the Dubai Electronic Security Centre, the Ministry of Interior and Dubai Police, positioning it as much a policy and governance platform as a trade exhibition.

H.E. Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cyber Security Council, framed the stakes in explicitly collective terms. "Artificial intelligence, geopolitical instability and the rapid evolution of digital technologies are fundamentally reshaping the cybersecurity landscape," he said. "As cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated and interconnected, no single nation or organisation can address these challenges alone."

A new leadership summit and quantum agenda

New to this year's programme is the Cyber First Leadership Summit, which will bring together ministers, national cyber authorities, global CISOs and technology leaders to examine the geopolitical impact of artificial intelligence, digital sovereignty, nation-state cyber threats and the resilience of digital economies. Confirmed speakers include Subra Kumaraswamy, SVP and CISO at Visa, and Alex Attumalil, Global CISO at Under Armour, alongside additional international government leaders.

The event also introduces a new quantum security agenda, reflecting growing enterprise concern over post-quantum cryptography timelines as quantum computing capability advances. Organisers describe the addition as a response to a shift already underway among CISOs planning multi-year cryptographic transitions rather than reacting to the risk once it materialises.

Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, Chief Executive of the Dubai Electronic Security Centre, pointed to continuity alongside the new additions, noting that this year's edition builds on established programmes including the second editions of the Dubai Cyber Challenge Government Edition and the School of Cyber Defence, which gives university students across the UAE the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their skills.

Why this matters for GCC enterprise security teams

For security leaders across the Gulf, GISEC's growth trajectory, and its increasing framing around AI governance and nation-state risk rather than product exhibition alone, tracks closely with the same pressures MCW has covered throughout the year: AI-enabled threats targeting critical sectors, identity infrastructure emerging as a primary attack surface, and Iran-linked activity against regional industrial and infrastructure targets. The addition of a dedicated leadership summit, rather than just an exhibition floor, suggests organisers are betting that GCC and international CISOs increasingly want policy and geopolitical context alongside vendor demonstrations.

With the event opening in under two weeks, expect a wave of pre-summit announcements from exhibitors and speakers in the run-up to 16 September.