Rearchitecting Governance for a New Digital Order

Governments worldwide are at a defining crossroads. As artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and advanced digital infrastructure reshape societies, the very architecture of governance is being rewritten. 

In this emerging order, leadership transcends administration; it is about orchestrating intelligent, adaptive, and accountable systems that can anticipate, respond, and sustain public trust at scale.

The second edition of MIT Sloan Management Review Middle East’s GovTech Conclave 2026 will convene technology, digital transformation, cybersecurity, and citizen experience leaders to explore how governments can design the next generation of public institutions. 

They are not only efficient and effective but resilient, sovereign, and human-centered, capable of delivering public value in a world driven by data, algorithms, and accelerating technological changes.

This forum moves beyond traditional digitization to examine governance through the systems and technologies that enable modern government, including data platforms, AI models, cloud environments, and cybersecurity foundations. It explores how these technological layers shape how states operate, make decisions, and engage citizens. Participants will discuss how trust, accountability, and long-term resilience can be embedded directly into the design of government technology and the services built on top of it.

Building on the momentum of its inaugural edition, the second MIT SMR GovTech Conclave returns to Abu Dhabi in 2026 to set the regional agenda for rearchitecting governance for a new digital order, providing a platform where governments can lead, innovate, and define the rules of the next era of statecraft.