WEP 2024

Theme: Digital Adventure – ride to the future

We stand on the threshold of an era of perhaps the most rapid change in human history, with artificial intelligence the keystone in the development of smart cities, smart health, quantum computing, virtual reality, the metaverse, and more. 

WEP 2024 will explore this AI infused future across four inter-related zones: health and wellness; environment; energy; and economics of the future.  How are the ambitions of AI empowered smart health, smart treatment, diagnosis, prognosis and drug development being realized?   What support can AI provide in tackling environmental challenges?  How will the economics of the future manifest themselves, and what are their likely impacts?  Will our energy demands be eased by the application of AI?  And alongside all of this, how do we ensure AI is the stuff of dreams, not nightmares?

Each year WEP invites experts from the world over to KAUST to share their insights, their journey of discovery, and their hopes for the future.  WEP 2024 invites you to join the ride to the future as it embarks on the Digital Adventure!

WEP is an annual signature program for KAUST that brings together the world’s greatest thinkers and leaders at the intersection of academia, research, culture, and innovation.  WEP 2024 is chaired by Xin Gao, Professor of Computer Science and Interim Director of the Computational Bioscience Research Center, and co-chaired by Michael Berumen, Professor of Marine Science and Director of the Red Sea Research Center.