The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance will open in Shanghai on July 17.

This year, WAIC will expand its AI experiences beyond forums and exhibitions to include neighborhoods, public spaces, and nighttime programs throughout Shanghai.

Big names to watch

This year's WAIC is expected to bring together nine recipients of the Turing Award or Nobel Prize.

Computer scientist Richard Sutton, often called the "father of reinforcement learning", is set to deliver a keynote speech. Meanwhile, Yoshua Bengio, a leader in deep learning, will outline the United Nations' work on AI governance.

Gilles Brassard, a recipient of the 2025 Turing Award, and Omar M. Yaghi, a 2025 Nobel Prize laureate, are also expected to discuss the emerging AI-for-science paradigm.

Frontier tech on display

WAIC forums will cover fast-moving topics such as world models, open-source agents, AI coding, the token economy, and one-person companies.

The exhibition will showcase new AI products, including the Huawei Atlas 950 supernode system, the MiniMax M3 large multimodal model, StepFun's Agent operating system, 3D chips using near-memory computing, an AI agent phone, humanoid robots, and AI-powered dexterous hands.

What visitors can try at three event areas

In the Expo area, visitors can see how robots and AI are being used in manufacturing, everyday life, and entertainment. Key experiences will include:

• A working automotive production line showing robot-assisted manufacturing
• Robots assisting visually impaired people and providing household support
• Robot sports and interactive games

In the Zhangjiang area, an AI carnival will feature:

• Robot combat matches
• Robot dog racing and obstacle challenges
• AI-powered tennis and AI table tennis
• Mixed-reality games

In the West Bund area, the "AI-native" experience zone and AI Geek Training Camp will offer:

• Hands-on robot building
• Claw machine games controlled through brain-computer interfaces
• AIGC music contests
• Robot dog obstacle challenges
• Programs combining AI with intangible cultural heritage

WAIC City Walk

This year's WAIC City Walk will connect 24 urban landmarks across Shanghai.

The routes will cover six themes:

• AI innovation ecosystems
• AI science education
• AI and urban renewal
• Consumer and entertainment applications
• Industrial innovation
• Yangtze River Delta sci-tech innovation

Featured locations include the SMC Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center in Xuhui, Model Power Community in Pudong New Area, Zhangyuan, Fuxing Island, and the META 500 Technology and Art Space.

Visitors will be able to use Alipay's tap function to open the City Walk mini program, access route information, and join stamp-collection activities.

Night events

WAIC will also host evening programs designed for broader public participation.

Highlights include:

• A youth AI music show featuring original AI-assisted works
• Cross-cultural talks with young people from overseas
• Product testing sessions for new AI products
• A creators' night with directors, sci-fi writers, and video platform representatives

The evening programs will also feature music and refreshments.

For startups and developers

WAIC 2026 will also serve as a platform for AI founders, early-stage teams, and independent developers.

At the conference, the new OPC Independent Pioneer Challenge will focus on original, open-source projects led by individual creators. Of 711 submissions, 22 projects have been selected for the venture ecosystem exhibition area.

The WAIC Future Tech venture ecosystem will gather more than 80 investment institutions and nearly 180 selected projects from over 1,200 submissions worldwide. More than 70 percent of the teams were formed within the past three years.

Beyond the conference, Shanghai is offering support for AI creators and startups, including computing resources, token support, training-data support, startup incubation, and access to real-world application scenarios.

Model Power Community and the SMC Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center offer ready-to-use office and innovation spaces, with rent reductions available to eligible teams.

Zhangjiang and Beiyang AI innovation towns are providing real-world application settings in manufacturing, transportation, urban governance, education, and healthcare to support the deployment of cutting-edge AI technologies and solutions.

Sources: Shanghai Municipal People's Government, World Artificial Intelligence Conference