Global AI Visionary and Expert Mo Gawdat to Headline Bahrain Fintech Forward 2026

MANAMA, Bahrain, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Chief Business Officer of Google X, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and internationally recognised AI expert Mo Gawdat has joined Fintech Forward 2026's speaker lineup to share his perspective on the future of artificial intelligence, human judgment, and responsible decision-making. Gawdat's participation comes at a time when AI is commanding global attention as businesses, regulators, and the public navigate questions around trust, accountability, and the role of human oversight in increasingly intelligent systems. The region's flagship financial services forum will take place on 7-8 October 2026 at Exhibition World Bahrain, under the theme 'Finance in the Age of Intelligent Infrastructure'.

Gawdat's 27-year career spans IBM, NCR, Microsoft, and Google, where he helped launch nearly half of Google's global operations before becoming Chief Business Officer at Google X, the innovation lab behind moonshot projects including self-driving cars, Project Loon, and Makani. He is also the founder of the One Billion Happy movement, host of Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat, and author of international bestsellers including Solve for Happy, Scary Smart, That Little Voice in Your Head, Unstressable, and Alive. His work on AI, happiness, and human potential has made him one of the world's most distinctive voices on how advanced technologies can be shaped by human values.

At FF26, Gawdat will take part in a fireside chat titled 'When Intelligence Is Everywhere: What Should Humans Still Decide?' The session will explore how AI is being embedded across industries, including financial services, where intelligent systems are increasingly shaping decisions around money, investing, risk, and customer interaction. The discussion will examine what this shift means for judgment, ethics, and accountability, and where human decision-making remains essential as machines become more capable of prediction and action.

Speaking on his participation, Mo Gawdat said: "AI is no longer a distant technology; it is becoming part of the infrastructure behind our choices, our institutions, and our financial systems. The real test is not simply how powerful these systems become, but whether we remain clear about the decisions that require human judgment and values. I look forward to joining Fintech Forward 2026 in Bahrain to explore these topics with some of the key players shaping the financial services industry in the region."

Financial services remains Bahrain's largest economic sector, contributing 17.6% to GDP in 2025, underlining the Kingdom's role as one of the region's most established financial centres. Building on more than a century of sector expertise, Bahrain continues to strengthen its fintech ecosystem through innovative financial institutions and a future-proofed talent pool.

Hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) and supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority (BTEA), and Bahrain Fintech Bay, Fintech Forward 2026 is programmed by Forbes Middle East. For more details or to register interest in attending FF26, please visit the website.

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Global AI Visionary and Expert Mo Gawdat to Headline Bahrain Fintech Forward 2026

HEFEI, China, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In golden autumn, Anhui once again draws global attention from the manufacturing industry as the 2026 World Manufacturing Convention gets underway in Hefei. Held in Anhui for years, the convention is not only a platform for showcasing new products and technologies, but also a window into the province's industrial transformation.

The clearest change in Anhui manufacturing is the shift toward new industries and a more optimized structure. Manufacturing has long been a pillar of Anhui's economy, and its manufacturing quality development index continues to rise. The shares of high-tech manufacturing, strategic emerging industries, equipment manufacturing and electronic information are growing. Equipment manufacturing alone has risen from 33.5% to 42.4%. New energy vehicles, integrated circuits and robotics are growing rapidly, while traditional manufacturing is becoming more high-end, intelligent and green.

Changes in manufacturing methods are also evident. Since 2021, the number of industrial enterprises above the designated size that have completed digital transformation has risen from fewer than 1,000 to 17,000, accounting for 69.5% of all such enterprises. Smart factories, green factories and lighthouse factories are coming into operation. Average tax revenue per mu has risen from 166,000 yuan to 232,000 yuan, while energy consumption per unit of industrial value added has fallen 14.2%. Invention patents per 10,000 people have doubled from the end of 2020. More first-of-its-kind equipment and first-batch products are emerging, making innovation a defining feature of Anhui manufacturing.

 The convention also connects Anhui with global markets. The 2025 World Manufacturing Convention facilitated 735 cooperation projects with total investment of 380.2 billion yuan, including 647 projects in ten key emerging industries worth 329.6 billion yuan. During preparations for this year's convention, 946 cooperation projects involving more than 400 billion yuan in investment had been identified. Activities such as cross-border industrial matchmaking and support for SMEs going global are helping companies find partners and share opportunities in Anhui.

Looking ahead, Anhui will develop new industries and emerging fields, including quantum technology, biomanufacturing and hydrogen energy. It will strengthen the links from research and development and testing to market application, integrate artificial intelligence and the industrial internet more closely with advanced manufacturing, and promote industrial clusters and high-quality enterprises. By attracting investment, technology and talent, the convention is helping expand Anhui's international manufacturing partnerships and create new opportunities for global manufacturing cooperation.

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From the World Manufacturing Convention: Anhui's High-Quality Industrial Development