WAIC 2026: world’s largest AI event to begin in China

The World Artificial Intelligence Conference places China at the center of global decisions about the future of technology.

From July 17 to 20, China will become the global showcase for cutting-edge AI technology during the ninth edition of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC 2026). Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the conference and deliver the keynote address.

Under the theme “Intelligent Partners, Co-Creating the Future,” WAIC 2026 will demonstrate that AI has become real — present in factories, hospitals, streets, and everyday life.

The event is expected to surpass last year’s record attendance of about 350,000 people. It will also feature approximately 1,400 guests (including experts, officials and executives) and 1,100 exhibiting companies.

Trends: what will dominate the debates

WAIC 2026 will show the world how China is advancing on each of these fronts. The event’s more than 140 forums will revolve around topics such as:

🤖 Models and agents

• World models — systems that simulate reality for planning and decision-making
• Open-source AI agents — collaborative and accessible technology
• AI programming — artificial intelligence that writes code or assists developers
• Everyday intelligent assistants — agents that go beyond the smartphone screen

⚙️ Infrastructure and hardware

• Intelligent computing — the processing foundation supporting large-scale AI
• AI infrastructure — data centers, networks and computing architecture
• Cutting-edge architectures — new ways to build more efficient models
• Data and corpora — the fuel that powers AI models

🦾  Robotics and the physical world

• Embodied intelligence — AI with a physical body that interacts with the real world
• Humanoid robots and robotic hands — AI stepping out of the screen into the physical realm
• Physical AI — systems that understand and act in three-dimensional space 
  

🧠 Science and innovation

• AI for science — artificial intelligence accelerating scientific discoveries
• WAIC Academic Forum — China’s new high-level space for AI research
• Token economy — the emerging economic model of AI

🌏 Governance and the future of work

• AI governance — rules, ethics and regulation
• One-Person Company (OPC) — the future of work powered by AI
• Global AI governance — international cooperation and shared rules
• BRICS and South-South cooperation — the role of emerging countries in AI

WAIC 2026 in numbers

According to official data, the event has grown this year and the exhibition area will reach an impressive 100,000 m² — a 43% increase over 2025. Around 300 global product launches are planned, representing a 200% year-over-year rise.

Source: Shanghai Government / WAIC 2026 Organizing Committee

AI for a better world

The Chinese government will launch the China AI for a Better World (2026) initiative, featuring real-world AI use cases in more than 20 countries across agriculture, industry, energy and research. It also includes an action plan with eight pillars covering accessible computing, open technologies and security governance.

For the first time, the event will host the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, with dozens of countries and international organizations confirmed to participate.

Nine Nobel and Turing laureates confirmed

WAIC 2026 has already confirmed nine Nobel and Turing laureates, including:

• Richard Sutton — known as the “father of reinforcement learning” (the technique that lets AI learn by trial and error, like humans) — will deliver a keynote address.
• Yoshua Bengio — one of the leading figures in deep learning (the technology inspired by how the human brain works).
• Gilles Brassard — 2025 Turing Award winner.
• Omar M. Yaghi — 2025 Nobel Prize winner.

In addition to the laureates, this edition introduces another highlight: the WAIC Academic – China’s premier high-level AI academic forum, chaired by Andrew Chi-Chih Yao (Turing Award winner).

Immersion: AI takes over Shanghai’s streets

One of this year’s major innovations is the WAIC City Walk, described by Chinese media as “bringing cutting-edge technology out of the laboratory and exhibition halls and making it tangible in urban settings.”

Six thematic routes will connect 24 tourist spots with interactive AI experiences, passing through shops, parks and historic districts.

Join the events digitally and for free

WAIC 2026 will be livestreamed free of charge on the official WAIC YouTube channel and via the Hi WAIC app (available for iOS and Android).

See also

• Check the official WAIC 2026 website
• Follow my real-time updates on X: @sitebricsbrasil