Preparations for the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) and High‑Level Meeting on Global AI Governance have entered top gear as Shanghai readies to host the event from July 17 to 20.
The event is a key platform for showcasing frontier technologies and shaping global discussions on AI governance, bringing the technology out of the lab and into daily life for the public to experience firsthand.It will host over 140 forums featuring 1,400-plus experts from China and abroad.
The conference will span three locations, Expo, Zhangjiang, and West Bund, across four exhibition halls with more than 100,000 square meters of floor space, about 14 football fields. More than 1,000 exhibitors will showcase over 3,000 frontier technologies, and more than 300 AI products are set to make their global debut.
The main venue at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center will showcase how robots and AI integrate into daily life, with conference elements and signage already in place at the north square.
The Expo exhibition hall will be divided into three zones, each showing how AI blends into daily life. One zone features a live car production line, where visitors can watch robots assemble vehicles up close. Another recreates a smart neighborhood, with robots acting as guide dogs, domestic helpers, and more. The third is built for interaction, inviting visitors to compete and play alongside robots in real time.
The Zhangjiang area will host robot combat matches, robotic dog races and obstacle courses that visitors can control themselves, alongside smart tennis and AI ping-pong games open throughout the day.
A large-scale virtual-physical hybrid game space will offer an immersive experience.
At the West Bund area, visitors can build robots by hand and try brain-computer interface claw machine games. Special events such as AIGC（Artificial Intelligence Generated Content）music competitions, robotic dog obstacle challenges, and exhibitions that bring together AI and intangible cultural heritage will also be held.
The event will also extend beyond the venues, with six themed walking routes connecting 24 city landmarks. After dark, the excitement continues with a youth AI music variety show, a first of its kind, alongside an international night talk, a product review session, and a creators showcase night.
2026 WAIC prepares to open with interactive AI experiences
