How an Indian publisher is learning to Dubai-it his way to the frontier of AI

Dubai: What does the future of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) look like?

When Indian national Bernard D’sa, 39, was looking for inspiration in Bengaluru, India, he found the answer in a different part of the world: Dubai.

So, he decided to pack his bags, and move to the city to learn more.

Making a new move

For the past 15 years, D’sa, who is the founder of a large publishing house called Raindrops Books in India, has been working at the intersection of publishing, creativity, and more recently, AI.

In 2022, he established a new AI communications system – RaindropsX – with the intention of merging technology with creativity and human imagination.

But he realised he needed to be in the right environment, meeting the right people, discovering new ideas and collaborating, to make his dream happen.

He said: “Dubai felt like the right environment for the next stage because of its international outlook and the way business, technology, and creative communities come together here.”

Excited to start his new chapter, D’sa registered his business in Dubai in January this year, and completed all the visa formalities. He said: “I had everything ready to travel. I was originally supposed to fly out on March 3, but regional tensions at the time caused flight disruptions, and I had to postpone the move.”

Since he was bringing his mother along with him, he had to reconsider his travel plans: “For a while, I stayed back and continued trying to build connections in Dubai remotely, but I quickly realised how difficult it was to build the kind of business and network I wanted from a distance. By June, I decided I needed to be here. Whatever the circumstances, I needed to be physically present in Dubai and start building.”

Building connections

Leaving his team to handle the day-to-day publishing and operational work at Raindrops Books in India, D’sa is now able to focus on expanding the business internationally.

He arrived in June 2026, and wasted no time embracing the Dubai-it mindset, of achieving extraordinary results with excellence in record time.

As soon as he settled in, D’sa set out to introduce himself to Dubai’s diverse community. He said: “I deliberately sought out different sides of Dubai. I’ve met people from an incredible range of backgrounds – entrepreneurs and professionals in technology, AI, banking, real estate, media, human resources, and the creative industries. That’s probably one of the biggest differences I’ve experienced here.”

He has attended dozens of networking events in his short time here, from tech and real estate events to private networking events, even joining expat community forums like InterNations, and becoming part of Creators HQ, a global hub for digital content creators based in Dubai.

Originally from Goa, D’sa has also managed to capture a sense of home, by connecting with the Goan community through St. Mary’s Catholic Church, which, he said, “gave me a very different sense of belonging”.

Changing perspective

As he navigates Dubai, D’sa is learning something new every day.

He said: “What surprises me most is how quickly things move here. I come from a very established publishing environment, so I am fascinated by how easily you can meet someone from a completely different industry, have a conversation, and suddenly find yourself discussing an idea, a collaboration, or something you could build together.”

Networking in Dubai is completely different than anywhere else in the world, because the energy of the people who live in the city is different, according to D’sa: “What I really love is their curiosity. There’s an openness to learning and discovering something new that I find very energising. There is also a real sense that people are constantly building, improving and moving forward. Being around entrepreneurs, creators and those experimenting with new ideas challenges me to raise my standards. It keeps me on my toes.”

But chasing the bottomline or endless improvement isn’t always the primary goal – people he has met in the city often talk about contributing to society and doing their part. It’s something that’s opened his eyes to a different aspect of doing business: social responsibility.

D’sa said: “I’ve learned that simply attending events isn’t enough. I’ve met people who have taught me important lessons, not only about whom I should collaborate with, but also about quickly recognising where I can genuinely add value. [It’s why] I have started exploring ways to contribute through voluntary and community activities.”

An intentional future

Dubai is known for its honesty and code of responsibility – just consider how lost items are always returned to people in the city, or refer to its long safety record. What if the same standards were extended to how we use technology?

D’sa has discovered that in the UAE, “AI is treated as part of a broader national transformation rather than simply a technology trend. The UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 sets an ambition to become one of the world’s leaders in AI by 2031, while also focusing on areas such as talent, infrastructure, research, governance, and regulation.”

He is interested in being in a front-row seat to watch how the city steers the conversation: “I think Dubai is already part of a much larger conversation about what AI means for the future, not just in terms of technology, but also ethics, governance, and responsibility. What I find exciting about Dubai is that these conversations can happen alongside experimentation and actual building. You can discuss the future while seeing people actively trying to create it. That mix of thinking and doing really appeals to me.”

Looking ahead, D’sa is excited to see what Dubai and his future hold for him, and for RaindropsX.

He has a plan: “I want people to read more, think more deeply and embrace technology as a tool for creativity and learning. I want to bring reading, poetry, stories and creative expression closer to people, especially younger generations and people who may have drifted away from reading.”

Dubai feels like a wonderful environment for that vision, according to D’sa, “because people from so many cultures and walks of life come together here. If I can use what I’m building to connect those people with books, ideas and technology in meaningful ways, that is the kind of contribution I would like to make.”