BRIDGE Summit 2025 to Help Younger Audiences Connect With Emerging Creative Voices With more than 60,000 participants, 430 speakers, 1,200 CEOs, 260 agencies, and 150 exhibitors, the Summit offers an integrated view of how the next generation is influencing systems across media, education, culture, and technology.

Across more than 300 sessions running from 8-10 December at ADNEC Abu Dhabi, the BRIDGE Summit 2025 will offer young audiences -especially from Gen Z- access to creators, economists, technologists, storytellers, and innovators shaping the systems they are set to inherit.

Among the speakers are economist Dr Ashraf Ibrahim, whose platforms have surpassed 1 billion views; Zaria Parvez, who led Duolingo's widely noted TikTok strategy and now shapes content at DoorDash; digital humanitarian Zachery Dereniowski, followed by 30 million people across platforms; creator and philanthropist Roshaun Diah (Roshaun Rose), whose channels generate 300 million monthly impressions; and para-surf world champion Liv Stone, a multi-medal athlete and emerging cultural voice.

They join AI governance expert Professor Renée Cummings, Web3 investor Yat Siu, trend analyst Nathan Jun Poekert, and new-media strategist Nick Moar as BRIDGE Summit 2025 examines a central question: If creators are now informal editors, educators, commentators, and cultural interpreters online, what shared norms and safeguards should guide their influence?

Youth, philanthropy, and mental health

Gen Z's approach to giving continues to shift toward more public, participatory models, and BRIDGE Summit places this trend under focus.

In Gen Z, Gen Give: Philanthropy Through Youth and Story, creator Roshaun Diah discusses how short-form content is being used to mobilise communities, drawing on his collaborations with the NBA, Vogue, Snap, Coca-Cola, and Meta.

In Performing for a Cause or Standing for One?, Zachery Dereniowski outlines how influencer-driven philanthropy is reshaping public giving through large-scale digital communities.

In When the Messenger Becomes the Movement, Liv Stone reflects on how athletes and creators increasingly shape national conversations on inclusion and representation.

Viral economics and financial literacy

Economic literacy is rapidly moving into the creator space, where audiences in the tens of millions now follow financial content daily.

In Viral Economics, Dr Ashraf Ibrahim, founder of Mokhbir Eqtisadi, explains how creators often pre-empt traditional economists in shaping public views on inflation, market movement, and risk. His platforms have amassed more than 1 billion views and 15 million followers across MENA.

In Culture-Shaping Viral Moments, Nathan Jun Poekert analyses how microtrends evolve into global cultural and commercial events, often driven by young creators.

In Turning Views into Value: Cracking the Code on YouTube Monetization, Donna Budica of TEN2 Media discusses data-driven content strategies developed through the company's collaborations with Google and the LaunchPad martech platform.

Education and media literacy

With millions turning to creators for explanations of science, politics, math, and world events, BRIDGE Summit explores what this shift means for learning.

In Making Education Content Go Viral, David Goldenberg of MinuteEarth, MIT graduate Gohar Khan, and Welovebuzz founder Driss Slaoui discuss how to make educational content effective in a fragmented attention landscape.

In Rebooting Media Education for the Algorithmic Age, Dr Luca Iandoli (St. John's University) and Assel Mussagaliyeva-Tang (EDUTech Future) examine how academic institutions must respond as AI reshapes verification, authorship, and foundational digital literacy.

In Whose Reality Are We Really Living In, media scholar Anna Jupowicz-Ginalska outlines how platform dynamics influence public narratives and representation.

Platforms, brands, and Gen Z trust

Younger audiences increasingly expect authenticity and transparency from both creators and brands.

In The Price of Influence in a Platform World, creative leader Alice Chou examines the relationship between creativity, algorithms, and platform dynamics.

In Creating a Magnetic Brand, DoorDash Head of Social Zaria Parvez discusses how brands can remain culturally relevant in a post-traditional media environment.

In Winning Back Gen Z One Swipe at a Time, Sara Al Refai, Dr Moataz Fattah, and Nick Moar — who oversees a digital network reaching over 150 million followers — assess how news and entertainment organisations must adapt their storytelling approaches.

AI, IP, and the rules ahead

As creators adopt AI tools at scale, questions around ownership and ethics become increasingly pressing.

In Intellectual Property at the Edge of Innovation, Prof. Renée Cummings, Emmy®-winning producer Neil Mandt, and Yat Siu explore how blockchain, AI, and Web3 technologies are reshaping ideas of ownership and creative value.

In Reprogramming Humanity in the Age of AI, Osamah Essam El-Din and software engineer Sarah Younis examine how human judgment and emotional intelligence will continue to play a role in a machine-accelerated environment.

With more than 60,000 participants, 430 speakers, 1,200 CEOs, 260 agencies, and 150 exhibitors, the Summit offers an integrated view of how the next generation is influencing systems across media, education, culture, and technology.

BRIDGE Summit is developed under the mandate of the BRIDGE Alliance, an independent non-profit organisation that brings together leaders, policymakers, CEOs, investors, creators, and media professionals. Its work focuses on strengthening global media collaboration, advancing credibility and transparency, and supporting responsible innovation aligned with broader economic and cultural development. Established in line with the UAE's wider vision for global cooperation, the Alliance contributes to the country's position as a hub for international dialogue.

Registration is open through the official BRIDGE Summit website, and via the BRIDGE App.