Creators urged to turn influence into action for humanity at 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai

MrBeast, policymakers and education leaders called for the power of digital influence to be harnessed for humanitarian impact during a session at the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai.

Speaking at the session titled the 1 Billion Acts of Kindness, Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, said he hopes his work inspires other creators to use their platforms for good.

"I hope my videos inspire more creators to do good. We tend to try things we are passionate about. We did a lot of work in healthcare too and I hope our content inspires others,” he said, adding that he has been creating videos since the age of 11.

MrBeast speaks during the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai on Friday.

He is the creator behind the world’s largest YouTube channel and a pioneer of large-scale, high-impact content. His ambitious challenges, philanthropy, and mission to make kindness go viral have reshaped digital entertainment.

The session also marked the announcement of 20 creators who will travel to Ghana later this year with MrBeast to help build a village, officially launching the global 1 Billion Acts of Kindness mission.

"There are one million children in a camp in West Africa. The creators will go with me to Ghana to build the village. We had 170,000 submissions and we picked 10 creators from around the world,” he added.

The 1 Billion Followers Summit 2026, organised by the UAE Government Media Office and hosted by the United Arab Emirates from Jan,9, across Emirates Towers, DIFC, and the Museum of the Future in Dubai, under the theme "Content for Good.”

Saeed Al Eter, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Projects and Chairman of the UAE Government Media Office, highlighted the growing influence of digital creators on social priorities and creating real positive change.

Al Eter said, "No one can underestimate the power of content creators. They influence 59% of consumer decisions, while 50% of Gen Z say they feel a stronger personal connection to social media creators than to TV personalities.”

He pointed to the scale of today’s humanitarian challenges, noting that the world today faces unprecedented crises, humanitarian in particular.

Al Eter added, "Partnering with content creators is not an option anymore. It’s a must. But content creators cannot do it all by themselves,” stressing the need for governments, NGOs and creators to work together to create systems that turn online attention into sustainable action.

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation, said kindness must remain at the heart of learning, especially in the digital age.

"Education should focus on caring, sharing, kindness and respect. Without kindness, there is no learning,” he said, noting that children increasingly absorb values from social media as well as family and schools.

Varkey said content creators carry a major responsibility to promote positive values and highlighted that 272 million children worldwide are currently out of school.

"I don’t see this going viral on social media,” he said. "I challenge all content creators to make the global education crisis a trend, because education is the greatest gift for a child.”

Jeffery Housenbold, CEO of Beast Industries, encouraged creators to commit early to causes that genuinely matter to them.

"The hardest part is committing to use your platform as a voice for global good,” he said. "It doesn’t matter if you have 500 or 500 million subscribers. Start small, start early, and be authentic.” He added that creators are driven not only by visibility but by purpose.

"Creators are courageous people by nature. They want to be famous, but they also want to have impact,” he said.

The session underscored how positive, purpose-driven content is emerging as a powerful force in the creator economy, capable of changing communities, cultures and lives when influence is matched with action.

WAM