Riyadh: The ninth edition of the Future Investment Initiative Conference commenced in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, under the theme "The Key to Prosperity." The event will run until October 30.

According to Qatar News Agency, the conference has drawn over 8,000 participants and 650 prominent speakers who will engage in 250 panel discussions. The three-day gathering will feature sessions on crucial topics including the impact of artificial intelligence and robotics on productivity, wealth creation amidst growing inequality, geoeconomic impacts of resource scarcity, demographic shifts reshaping the future workforce, and strategies for balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability.

In the coming days, heads of state, sovereign wealth funds, senior executives, and leaders from technology, energy, healthcare, climate, finance, and culture sectors will engage in high-level discussions. These discussions aim to influence the future of global growth, investment, and human progress.

The conference kicked off on Monday with closed-door sessions designed to facilitate idea exchange among thinkers and experts. These sessions covered a range of subjects such as carbon accounting innovation to measure corporate climate performance, the role of cryptocurrency infrastructure in defining the global financial system, quantum computing's potential for generating returns, and investing in future leadership.