WAIC 2026 Opens in Shanghai — Xi Jinping's First-Ever Keynote and China's Bid to Lead AI Governance

From July 17 to 20, China is hosting the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) alongside a High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai. Two storylines dominate this year's edition: President Xi Jinping delivering the opening keynote for the first time, and Beijing formally proposing a new international body to steer global AI rules — a clear play for a seat at the head of the table.

Why Xi's first appearance matters

According to Chinese state media including CGTN, Xi's address will "systematically elaborate on China's policies, position, visions and propositions on AI development and governance." WAIC has run annually since 2018, but this is the first time the country's top leader has delivered the keynote in person. With U.S.–China tech competition now spanning chips, models and data centers, the move signals that Beijing is placing AI at the very top of its national agenda.

The diplomatic track running in parallel is just as consequential. At the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, China is advancing a World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO) — a proposed body to coordinate international AI cooperation — and reportedly wants it headquartered in Shanghai. The pitch reads as an attempt to build a multilateral axis, inclusive of the Global South, as a counterweight to Western-led rule-making efforts.

A record-size exhibition

On the industry side, this year's event scales up sharply. Floor space exceeds 100,000 square meters for the first time, with more than 1,100 companies showing over 3,000 exhibits. Notably, more than 300 AI products are set to make their global debut at the conference.

A new academic track stacked with laureates

For the first time, WAIC adds a dedicated academic track, WAIC Academic — a high-level international conference led by Turing Award winners and academicians. Nine Nobel and Turing laureates are scheduled to take part, including deep learning pioneers Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, reinforcement learning pioneer Richard Sutton, and computer scientist Andrew Chi-chih Yao.

What it means

This WAIC has shifted from a pure tech showcase into a geopolitical event over who sets the direction of AI governance. As the U.S. and Europe each build out their own regimes (the EU AI Act, U.S. executive orders), China is presenting an alternative multilateral frame centered on "development and cooperation" — and trying to move to the center of the debate. If the 300+ debuts are a showcase of industrial muscle, Xi's keynote and the WAICO proposal are a diplomatic bid for the role of rule-designer.