Realtime AI News
WAIC 2026 announces details: opens July 17 in Shanghai with three venues and AI Entrepreneur Forum lineup
The World AI Conference 2026 will be held July 17-20 in Shanghai under the theme 'Smart Partners, Creating the Future Together', spanning three venues across Pudong and Xuhui. The conference also revealed the first speaker lineup for its AI Entrepreneur Forum.
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance (WAIC 2026) officially released its core details on July 2. The conference will be held from July 17 to July 20, 2026 in Shanghai.
As the premier global event in artificial intelligence, this year's WAIC will be themed 'Smart Partners, Creating the Future Together', bringing together global expertise to discuss the latest breakthroughs in AI technology, industrial applications, and global governance frameworks.
The conference will expand its spatial footprint with three venues: Pudong Expo, Pudong Zhangjiang, and Xuhui West Bund. This multi-district model aims to integrate cutting-edge AI technology into the city's various functional areas.
WAIC 2026 also unveiled the inaugural lineup for its AI Entrepreneur Forum, which according to local tech media QbitAI will feature multiple AI entrepreneurs and leaders from large-scale industrial conglomerates. The forum aims to foster in-depth exchange between industry and academia, accelerating AI's transition from lab to commercial deployment.
WAIC typically draws tens of thousands of attendees from the global AI ecosystem, including leading scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and investors. This year's conference is expected to maintain that scale, with discussions centered on large language models, AI agents, embodied intelligence, and AI governance.
With two weeks remaining before the conference opens, more forum agendas and speaker announcements are expected in the coming days.
Why it matters
WAIC 2026's expanded three-venue format signals China's continued commitment to showcasing AI leadership, while the Entrepreneur Forum lineup reflects growing industry focus on commercial AI deployment.
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