• The 3-day event taking place from December 8-10 in ADNEC, prepares to welcome 60,000 participants and 430+ speakers as global leaders call for a new architecture of trust, innovation, and shared standards
  • H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Al Hamed: “Bridge Summit is a global platform reshaping media for humanity's future.”
  • H.E. Dr. Jamal Al Kaabi: “Bridge Summit opens new pathways toward a media space that is more transparent and more flexible”
  • HRH Princess Lamia: “BRIDGE is a global commitment to ethical media and shared human values.”
  • H.E. Macky Sall: “At a time when humanity needs bridges, not walls, BRIDGE offers a platform for dialogue.”
  • Richard Attias: “BRIDGE is not here to comment on the future — it is here to disrupt it.”
  • Maryam bin Fahad: “The Bridge Summit opens in Abu Dhabi at a time when the media and content sector needs a clear reassessment.”
  • Jessica Sibley: “BRIDGE arrives at a pivotal moment when rebuilding trust in media demands collaboration, innovation, and shared standards.”
  • Sanford Climan: “We are approaching a media singularity, and BRIDGE opens the conversation the world needs.”
  • Dr. Julie Gichuru: “We urgently require a new architecture for this era of democratized influence.”
  • Daniil Shuleyko: “BRIDGE is where alignment on standards and responsibilities can finally happen.”
  • Janet Yang: “BRIDGE creates the conditions for genuine cooperation and shared global narratives.”

Abu Dhabi:  Abu Dhabi, UAE Capital, is set to welcome the world tomorrow (Monday) as BRIDGE Summit 2025 opens its doors to more than 60,000 participants from 132 countries, marking the largest debut media, content, and entertainment event ever staged. With 430+ speakers and over 300 sessions and activities across three days, the Summit brings together creators, policymakers, investors, technologists, media institutions, and cultural leaders at a defining moment for the global media ecosystem.

Leadership reflections from BRIDGE Alliance

Abdulla Al Hamed: Bridge Summit is a global platform reshaping media for humanity's future.

H.E. Abdulla bin Mohamed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of BRIDGE Alliance,  welcomed participants in the Bridge Summit 2025, in Abu Dhabi and runs for three days.

He said: "The summit aims to reinforce its role in global media as a channel for cooperation across communities. The strength of media and the quality of its content shape social progress, support understanding and peace, and help build a sustainable and stable future."

Dr. Al Hamed added: "The summit brings together media leaders and content producers to exchange ideas at a moment that demands coordinated action. Major challenges now require shared global effort, especially in a sector that shapes public awareness and informs future planning."

The Chairman concluded: "In an interconnected world, no one is insulated from shifts in media and content. We need aligned perspectives and joint action to channel these shifts toward fair and sustainable development and to strengthen media responsibility in service of humanity."

Jamal Al Kaabi: Bridge Summit opens new pathways toward a media space that is more transparent and more flexible

H.E. Dr. Jamal Mohammed Obaid Al Kaabi, Vice Chairman of BRIDGE Alliance, said: “The inaugural edition of the Bridge Summit is a practical step toward a media space that is more transparent and flexible. The diverse international gathering of media institutions, decision-makers, and experts gives the summit a strong position as a new platform for stakeholders during one of the most transformative periods in modern media.”

He added: “The shifts underway in the media sector are deep and swift. Institutions now face a critical need to prepare, adapt, and build the tools required to keep pace. Bridge Summit was created to lead these discussions directly and practically through open dialogue that confronts challenges, explores future opportunities, and rebuilds trust and partnership across global media.”

The Vice Chairman continued: “The summit offers a shared space to build stronger partnerships and develop cooperation models that use current changes for the benefit of all, while ensuring media can serve their communities with clarity and responsibility.”

Voices from the BRIDGE Alliance Board of Directors

HRH Princess Lamia bint Majid Al Saud, Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies, noted: “As we stand at a turning point in the global media landscape, our responsibility is clear: to build an ecosystem where innovation is guided by conscience, and where storytelling lifts humanity rather than overwhelms it. BRIDGE Summit 2025 is more than an event; it is a global commitment to ethical media, responsible AI, and shared values that safeguard human dignity and rebuild trust in an age of rapid change.In a world where information moves faster than reflection, we must ensure that creativity is anchored in integrity, and that technology amplifies inclusion rather than division. When empathy and accountability shape the way we create, share, and interpret stories, media becomes more than a platform, it becomes a force for peace, understanding, and sustainable impact that serves communities and strengthens our collective future.”

H.E. Macky Sall, Former President of Senegal, remarked: “The BRIDGE Summit comes at a decisive moment, when polarized debates, competing narratives, and unprecedented shifts in information production test our collective ability for dialogue and mutual understanding. Building or restoring trust requires far more than technological innovation; it calls for a renewed commitment to a meaningful dialogue of cultures and civilizations. Today, algorithms shape perceptions while misinformation weakens the foundations of peaceful coexistence.”

“Yet these same technologies also offer extraordinary opportunities to amplify plural voices and connect communities across borders. I strongly believe BRIDGE can play a transformative role. By convening leaders, creators, and thinkers from across continents, it offers a space where collaboration prevails over confrontation, and where content becomes a force for truth, respect, and mutual learning”, he added.

Richard Attias, BRIDGE Alliance Chairman’s Strategic Advisor, opined: “The BRIDGE Summit will do something rare in today’s media landscape: it will break the script. At a time when global narratives are fragmented, manipulated, and increasingly shaped by algorithms rather than people, BRIDGE is confronting an uncomfortable truth — the world urgently needs a new media order grounded in trust.”

“What makes BRIDGE compelling is that it refuses to build on the past. It challenges us to rethink power, influence, and responsibility in an era where content can either build trust or destroy it. The Summit will push boundaries and expose the widening gap between the media we have and the media we need. BRIDGE is not here to comment on the future — it is here to disrupt it and to help design a new architecture of trust, truth, and impact,” he further noted.

Maryam bin Fahad, Managing Director of BRIDGE Alliance, said: “The Bridge Summit opens in Abu Dhabi at a time when the media and content sector needs a clear reassessment. The strong participation in the first edition shows that countries now treat the industry as a force in knowledge, economic growth, and cultural identity. The diversity at the event offers a precise view of the sector’s ongoing shifts and the reforms required to create a more balanced and inventive environment that reflects a wider range of voices.”

She added: “Bridge Summit functions as an open ideas lab. Policymakers, creators, investors, and technology specialists meet to set the foundation for a more transparent media system that can serve communities and shape a new path for the industry. The sector faces significant structural challenges, and this summit is a chance to address them directly.”

The Managing Director concluded: “The Bridge Alliance believes a different media future depends on broader, active partnerships. What begins tomorrow is a global workshop designed to produce a model that helps communities create content that represents them and serves their interests. We depend on shared effort, clear priorities, and the capacity of this international gathering to move the industry toward a more mature and responsible phase.”

Jessica Sibley, CEO of TIME, emphasized: “BRIDGE Summit arrives at a pivotal moment for our industry. Around the world, trust in media is under strain, audiences are fragmented, and technology is rapidly reshaping how people find information and connect with one another. Meeting this moment requires innovation, collaboration, and a shared commitment to credible, high-quality content.”

“At TIME, we have worked with focus and ambition to modernize a legacy brand for the future, reshaping how we create and distribute journalism and strengthening our connection with global audiences. BRIDGE Summit reflects that same imperative. By uniting leaders across media, technology, and culture, the Alliance can help shape standards, encourage transparency, and champion bold ideas that move our industry forward,” she added.

Sanford Climan, Founder and CEO of Entertainment Media Ventures, shared: “The world of information and media is evolving faster than at any other point in human history. Technology enables instant communication on a dizzying array of platforms, giving us unprecedented access to information, data, and opinion. But this speed also makes it increasingly difficult to verify and contextualize content, while digital manipulation allows facts to be twisted or fabricated.”

“We are almost at the point of a ‘media singularity,’ where information, entertainment, sports, commerce, and social discourse merge into one digital ecosystem driven by data-hungry algorithms. The BRIDGE Summit comes at a critically important time to bring global thought leaders together to discuss how humanity and digital media platforms will coexist and work toward positive outcomes. This inaugural edition sets the stage for a long-term dialogue on how we live productively and peacefully in an always-on world,” he further noted.

For her part, Dr. Julie Gichuru, President & CEO, Africa Leadership and Dialogue Institute, said: “The BRIDGE Summit is not merely relevant — it is urgent. We stand in a defining moment as we navigate the greatest democratization of influence the world has ever seen. Traditional gatekeepers have dissolved, replaced by a creator-driven economy where a single voice can drive mindset change, move markets, and shape policy. With this velocity comes volatility, and we urgently require a new architecture for this era. By uniting creatives, policymakers, media and technology stakeholders, and investors, BRIDGE provides the essential framework to turn disruption into progress.”

“For Africa, this is an important moment to reclaim our narrative, project our diverse contexts, and contribute to global dialogue. My hope is that BRIDGE helps build an ecosystem where credibility becomes currency and where creators are empowered to steward the future responsibly”, she added.

Daniil Shuleyko, CEO, Yango Group, noted: “The BRIDGE Summit arrives at a critical moment. The way people consume information is changing faster than our industries can adapt, reshaping how trust and relevance are built. AI-driven distribution, emerging formats, and evolving regulations require a new kind of collaboration. No single company or sector can navigate this transition alone”.

Daniil further added: “What makes BRIDGE uniquely valuable is its ability to convene voices that rarely share the same room — creators, technologists, platforms, and policymakers. Building a credible and sustainable content ecosystem requires genuine alignment on standards, responsibilities, and technology's role. My hope is that we use this opportunity not only to discuss the future but to actively shape it, building a content ecosystem that is more adaptive, accountable, and valuable to the people we serve.”

Janet Yang, Former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, remarked: “This inaugural BRIDGE Summit comes at an especially meaningful juncture. Across the world, the ways we produce, distribute, and engage with stories are being transformed by technological acceleration, shifting audience behavior, and a rising demand for transparency and cultural authenticity. These changes are not incremental — they are redefining how stories travel and whose voices gain influence.”

“What BRIDGE offers is a rare convening point: a space where leaders across media, technology, and creative industries can step back from their silos and chart a more connected path forward. By bringing together perspectives from Hollywood to the Middle East to Asia, BRIDGE creates the conditions for genuine cooperation, shared standards, and long-term trust. I see BRIDGE as a catalyst for a healthier, more resilient creative ecosystem — one that nurtures cross-border partnerships, elevates responsible storytelling, and embraces innovation as a tool for shaping a more inclusive and inspiring global narrative landscape,” she added.

BRIDGE Summit 2025 takes place from 8 to 10 December 2025 at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi and is organized by BRIDGE Alliance, the global independent non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the media, content, and entertainment ecosystem through credibility, trust, and responsible innovation. The Summit will welcome more than 60,000 participants from 132 countries and host 430 speakers across a comprehensive program of more than 300 sessions. The event convenes leaders from creative, media, and entertainment industries, alongside decision-makers, innovators, and stakeholders from across sectors that intersect with media, including technology, finance, culture, and the creative economy.

As the flagship initiative of BRIDGE Alliance, the Summit provides a platform to address shared challenges, exchange knowledge, and explore collaboration pathways that support the development of a more interconnected and sustainable global media ecosystem.

Registration is available via the official Summit website, www.bridgesummit.com/en, and through the BRIDGE mobile app, which offers a unified digital platform to access schedules, speakers, and real-time event updates.