Shanghai AI Conference 2026 Unveils Robots, Ant Group's AI Platform

The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) opened in Shanghai on 17 July and runs through 20 July, attracting more than 1 100 exhibitors and over 1 400 speakers. The event features more than 140 forums covering AI research, applications and global governance, and showcases over 3 000 AI‑related products.

Key demonstrations include Qingtianzu’s deployment of 60 service robots across three exhibition sites, providing guidance, reception and live news reporting. Ant Group presented a three‑layer AI architecture, highlighting its health AI app “Afu”, the AI‑enabled Alipay “Abao”, and a suite of agent‑based commercial services.

RoboScience displayed its Visics embodied AI model, enabling “30‑second tool‑swap” operation of multiple robotic hands and achieving 99 % pick‑success across diverse objects. The conference also featured remarks from Turing‑award laureate John Edward Hopcroft, who warned that current computing models consume far more energy than the human brain and may need a fundamental rethink.

Overall, WAIC 2026 serves as a major platform for unveiling new AI hardware, software and services, signalling rapid commercialization of embodied intelligence and AI‑driven applications worldwide.