Final day confronts post-quantum readiness, AI-enabled cybercrime and operational resilience as established cyber leaders share the stage with a new generation of talent
GISEC Global 2026, the Middle East & Africa’s largest and most impactful cybersecurity event, concluded its three-day conference programme at Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City Dubai, with the final day turning attention to the next generation of cyber risk and defence – from post-quantum security and AI-enabled cybercrime to operational resilience and emerging cyber talent.
Organised by inD under the theme Cyber First: The New Digital Order, the 15th edition brought together international cybersecurity leaders, national cyber authorities, critical infrastructure operators, technology experts and emerging talent to examine how organisations and governments can build resilience against a threat landscape being transformed simultaneously by AI, quantum computing and increasingly sophisticated cybercrime.
From Q-Day to practical quantum readiness
Quantum resilience emerged as a major final-day theme through the dedicated Quantum Security Summit, where government, industry and technology leaders moved the conversation from the future potential of quantum computing towards the practical challenge of preparing today’s digital infrastructure for post-quantum security.
Sessions examined global approaches to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration, the UAE’s quantum resilience priorities and implementation across critical organisations. Dr Bushra Al Blooshi, Executive Director of Cybersecurity Governance and Risk Management Department at Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC), examined how nations are developing PQC roadmaps and migration timelines, while Dr Saeed Aldhaheri, Chairman of the Robotics & Automation Society (RAS), explored a proposed roadmap for protecting UAE data and critical digital infrastructure ahead of Q-Day. The programme also brought together experts from TII, ENEC and CPX to examine practical migration challenges across critical entities.
Dr Saeed Aldhaheri said: “Quantum computing is bringing the need for post-quantum readiness into sharper focus. The UAE must begin migrating to quantum-safe cryptography now,
strengthening crypto agility, national capabilities and talent to protect sensitive data before quantum threats become a practical reality.”
The summit broadened the discussion through sessions examining the global response to quantum risk, enterprise migration and post-quantum readiness, including contributions from IBM, Google Cloud and international quantum and cybersecurity specialists.
A new generation finds the vulnerabilities
While the Quantum Security Summit looked towards the technologies reshaping tomorrow’s security landscape, the Dark Stage put the spotlight on a new generation already finding vulnerabilities today.
In Too Young to Hack? Think Again, teenage cybersecurity specialists Bandana Kaur, Security Research Engineer, and Ryen Agil, Junior Cyber Security Engineer, both from India, challenged assumptions around age and expertise in cybersecurity, sharing their experience of identifying vulnerabilities and developing technical skills at the beginning of their careers.
Their appearance reflected another challenge facing the global cybersecurity industry: developing the next generation of defenders while creating pathways for young talent to apply technical curiosity and offensive-security skills responsibly.
Following the money as cybercrime becomes AI-enabled
Financial cybercrime also came into focus through Following the Money: How Law Enforcement Is Redefining the Fight Against Financial Cybercrime, where Yashasvi Yadav, Additional Director General of Police, Maharashtra State Cyber Department, India, and Major Khalid Tahlak, Deputy Director of Cyber & AI Crimes Department for Monitoring and Security Programs, Dubai Police, examined an increasingly organised, cross-border and AI-enabled criminal ecosystem.
Speakers stressed that speed is critical to disrupting stolen funds before they move across jurisdictions, while AI is increasingly being deployed by law enforcement to analyse data, identify money-mule accounts and detect deepfakes.
“AI is a double-edged sword… whoever leverages the AI potential better would be the winner in this,” Yadav said.
Operational resilience under pressure
Operational resilience moved from discussion to practice through Inside the Compromise: An OT Integrity Tabletop, a two-hour exercise led by Captain John Ballentine and Thomas Plank. Participants were required to assess compromised operational technology systems and make decisions under pressure, demonstrating why critical-infrastructure resilience depends not only on technology but on preparedness, coordination and rapid organisational decision-making.
Cyber sovereignty in an interconnected world
On the Critical Infrastructure Stage, Major General Vasileios Chatzidakis of Greece and Lt. Col. Saeed M. AlShebli of the UAE Ministry of Interior, in a discussion moderated by Shaun Waterman, examined whether cyber sovereignty can be achieved in an interconnected world. The discussion highlighted that sovereignty does not necessarily require complete technological independence, while stressing the importance of regional cooperation and public-private partnerships in strengthening national resilience.
Keeping human judgement at the centre of AI defence
As AI continued to run across the final-day programme, speakers also examined how security teams can use automation without removing human judgement from critical decisions.
Prashant Haldankar, Managing Director, Group Chief Information Security Officer, Sekuro, said: “Attackers are already moving at machine speed, and that’s reshaping how we think about
defence. At Sekuro, we’re exploring how AI can help our teams and our clients keep pace, while making sure human judgement stays at the centre of every decision that matters. Events like GISEC are where we get to test that thinking against a global stage, learning from other regions while sharing what we’re building here in Australia.”
The human dimension of cyber resilience
The human dimension of cyber resilience was also explored during Women Defending the Digital World, where Aysha Ahmed BinHaji, Cybersecurity Advisor at the National Cyber Security Center, Bahrain, discussed the value of diverse expertise and frontline experience in critical cybersecurity decisions. With AI accelerating threats while legacy infrastructure faces growing exposure, she emphasised continuous testing, learning from incidents and practical resilience planning. “We don’t focus on tasks. We focus on mission,” she said.
From young security researchers finding vulnerabilities today to governments and enterprises preparing infrastructure for threats that may only fully materialise years from now, the final-day programme reflected the widening scope of modern cyber defence – and the growing need to combine technology, human expertise and international cooperation.
