A recent study by Dubai Design District (d3) and Dubai Media City highlights the UAE’s growing prominence in the global digital creative economy, which is projected to reach AED 27 trillion by 2030. The Digital Creative Economy 2024 White Paper, published in partnership with global consultancy Monstarlab, explores the UAE’s position within this thriving sector.
The study draws from insights from over 20 industry leaders and a survey of 400 design and media professionals in the UAE and abroad, providing a comprehensive outlook on growth opportunities in the global digital creative space. It also underscores how emerging technologies, particularly generative AI, are reshaping industries like fashion, architecture, and media.
How the UAE embraces AI in creative industries
Majed Al Suwaidi,, Senior Vice President of Dubai Media City at TECOM Group, notes that AI and Web3 have triggered a “seismic shift” in how content is produced, distributed, and monetized. Dubai’s ambitious D33 Economic Agenda aims to further integrate AI and advanced technologies into creative industries, fostering economic growth.
Al Suwaidi stressed that “AI, Web3, and virtual reality are swiftly pushing the horizon of what’s possible for the future of media, but this tech-driven landscape demands a deep, holistic understanding of the implications of these new tools.” Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’ outlines a roadmap for the adoption of AI and advanced technology in formerly labor-intensive industries.
Today we approved the Dubai Economic Agenda – D33, that aims to double the size of Dubai’s economy in the next decade and consolidate its position among the top three global cities. pic.twitter.com/7hMpEYgdRj
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) January 4, 2023
UAE has become a global leader in the creative space.
Khadija Al Bastaki,, Senior Vice President of d3, also highlighted that creative industries are pivotal for economic expansion, with the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy setting a goal to contribute 5% to the UAE’s GDP by 2025. The UAE’s infrastructure and innovation initiatives, such as ‘We the UAE 2031’ and Dubai Fashion Week, have solidified its standing as a global leader in the creative economy.
The majority of design (83%) and media (77%) professionals surveyed for the paper agree Dubai and the UAE provide well-developed infrastructure to enable creative excellence. The UAE’s events landscape has also flourished as a result of Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’. Events like Dubai Fashion Week, co-founded in February 2023 by d3 and the Arab Fashion Council, have cemented the city’s position in the global creativity arena.
Additionally, initiatives such as ‘We the UAE 2031’ and the UAE Cabinet’s decision to appoint a CEO for AI across ministries and federal entities aim to boost the UAE’s local value chain for future innovation.
In August 2024, TECOM Group began developing six Grade-A office buildings in Phase 2 of d3, which continues to attract clients from the design, fashion, and creative sectors, including notable names like Chopard, Zaha Hadid Architects, Chalhoub Group, and Burberry.
Adjacent to this, Dubai Media City serves as the foundation of the UAE and the region’s creative economy, offering a platform for high-quality media and content production and housing industry leaders such as CNN, Thomson Reuters, and OSN. Together with Dubai Production City, which hosts in5 Media—TECOM Group’s dedicated vertical for the media industry—and Dubai Studio City, these destinations form an integrated media ecosystem that supports over 3,500 clients and more than 38,000 creative professionals.
d3 and Dubai Media City are part of TECOM Group’s portfolio of 10 business districts, including Dubai Internet City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Industrial City, and Dubai Science Park.
The UAE’s keen focus on developing foundational frameworks for emerging best practices and innovations sets it apart from its counterparts in the GCC. If the global digital creative economy is projected to hit AED 27 trillion by 2030, the UAE is actively charting its route to the top of the leaderboard.
