Gibraltar reinforced its ambition to take a responsible lead in the adoption of artificial intelligence following the delivery of the AI Futures & Foresight Conference, a high-level, invitation-only gathering of senior leaders from government, regulation and industry.

The conference builds on months of work by the Ministry of Justice, Trade and Industry to advance AI initiatives focused on innovation, skills and smart regulation. It was delivered as a joint initiative between HM Government of Gibraltar and Numero Partners, in collaboration with Hyper Island.

Senior decision-makers from financial services, insurance, gambling, distributed ledger technology, telecommunications, law, professional services and technology explored how AI can be adopted responsibly, competitively and with long-term confidence in a highly regulated environment.

The conference was supported by its founding sponsors Gibtelecom, Xapo Bank and Hassans International Law Firm, reflecting the importance of cross-sector collaboration in shaping Gibraltar’s future economy.

Opening the conference, Matt Parkes, Co-Founder of Numero Partners, framed the day around a leadership challenge: while AI capability has advanced rapidly, leadership understanding and alignment have not always kept pace. He noted that Gibraltar has an opportunity to lead by prioritising alignment and responsibility over hype and reaction.

Mr Parkes then invited the Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry, Nigel Feetham, to formally open the conference. Minister Feetham reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to working with industry to ensure AI adoption strengthens competitiveness, broadens the economic base and safeguards long-term prosperity.

Throughout the day, participants engaged in expert-led sessions focused on leadership decision-making, examining trade-offs such as speed versus safety, innovation versus credibility and experimentation versus enterprise value. Delegates also took part in structured foresight work exploring the future of AI in Gibraltar, including governance, trust and economic resilience.

The conference was attended by His Excellency the Governor of Gibraltar, alongside senior representatives from Government and key stakeholders from across Gibraltar’s economy.

The conference concluded with a shared recognition that Gibraltar’s opportunity lies not in accelerating adoption alone, but in achieving alignment through continued collaboration between Government, regulators and industry.