Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer of Google X, has joined the speaker lineup for Fintech Forward 2026, where he will examine artificial intelligence, human judgment and responsible decision-making. The forum will be held on 7-8 October 2026 at Exhibition World Bahrain under the theme "Finance in the Age of Intelligent Infrastructure." Gawdat will participate in a fireside chat titled "When Intelligence Is Everywhere: What Should Humans Still Decide?" focused on AI’s growing role in financial services, including decisions involving money, investing, risk and customer interaction. Financial services contributed 17.6% to Bahrain’s GDP in 2025. The event is hosted by the Bahrain Economic Development Board and supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain, the Labour Fund, Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority and Bahrain Fintech Bay, with programming by Forbes Middle East.