Dubai will host the fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit from 9 to 11 January, 2026, introducing a groundbreaking USD 1 million award for films created using artificial intelligence (AI). This is the world’s largest prize for AI-generated films and marks a major step in merging technology with creative storytelling.
Themed 'Content for Good', the latest edition of 1 Billion Followers Summit will bring together 400 speakers with a combined following of more than 3 billion, across venues including Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre, and the Museum of the Future.
Announcing the new competition, His Excellency Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs in the UAE, said the top 10 shortlisted films will be showcased during the summit, with the winning project honoured before a global audience. The prize is launched in partnership with Google Gemini, and aims to encourage the production of purposeful films using diverse AI tools.
Short films, now one of the most widespread and effective mediums for delivering meaningful and impactful messages to audiences, will be central to this initiative, according to the officials.
The competition requires that the film be entirely generated using AI, foregrounding creativity and realism as essential criteria. The films will be judged based on storytelling, creativity, integration of AI, execution, and alignment with the theme in delivering a humanitarian message. More details will be shared during September, to kick-off the launch of the competition.
In addition to the film award, the UAE Government Media Office will launch a Dhs 50 million Creators Ventures programme to fund innovative projects and expand the global reach of creators.
The Summit will also feature a Content Creation Companies Pavilion, designed as a hub for learning, collaboration, and inspiration from some of the world’s most successful digital creators.
The Summit also announced the appointment of five new ambassadors for its fourth edition, including entrepreneur and business creator Simon Squibb, Australian content creator Alexandra Mary Hirschi also known as 'Supercar Blondie', UAE content creator, writer and speaker Khalid Al Ameri, Bahraini content creator Omar Farooq and Ammar Kandil, co-founder of Yes Theory.