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

Mo Gawdat, the former Chief Business Officer of Google X and internationally recognised expert on artificial intelligence, will headline Fintech Forward 2026 in Bahrain, organisers confirmed. The region’s flagship financial services forum takes place on 7–8 October 2026 at Exhibition World Bahrain under the theme "Finance in the Age of Intelligent Infrastructure", and Gawdat will appear in a fireside chat titled "When Intelligence Is Everywhere: What Should Humans Still Decide?".

"AI is no longer a distant technology; it is becoming part of the infrastructure behind our choices, our institutions, and our financial systems," Gawdat said. "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."

Context and speaker background

Gawdat brings a 27-year career spanning IBM, NCR, Microsoft and Google to the forum. At Google, he helped launch nearly half of the company’s global operations before becoming Chief Business Officer at Google X, the innovation lab behind projects such as self-driving cars, Project Loon and Makani. He is 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.

At Fintech Forward 2026 (FF26), Gawdat’s session will explore how AI is being embedded across industries — notably financial services — where intelligent systems increasingly shape decisions around money, investing, risk and customer interaction. The discussion will focus on judgment, ethics and accountability, and aim to clarify where human decision-making remains essential as machines grow more capable of prediction and action.

Event organisation and regional relevance

• Dates and venue: 7–8 October 2026, Exhibition World Bahrain.
• Theme: "Finance in the Age of Intelligent Infrastructure".
• Hosts and supporters: 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.
• Programming partner: Forbes Middle East.

Financial services remains Bahrain’s largest economic sector, contributing 17.6% to GDP in 2025, a figure organisers highlight to underscore the Kingdom’s established role as a regional financial centre and the relevance of conversations about AI-driven infrastructure to local markets.

Outlook

Gawdat’s participation signals a focus at FF26 on the human dimensions of AI as the technology gains traction within financial systems. Organisers position the forum as a platform for senior industry leaders, regulators and innovators to debate trust, accountability and the boundaries of machine decision-making. Attendees can expect sessions that probe both technical adoption and the ethical frameworks needed to ensure human oversight in increasingly automated financial services.

For professionals tracking AI’s impact on finance in the Middle East, Gawdat’s fireside chat will be a focal point for framing the sector’s next phase of integration between intelligent systems and human judgment.