United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (center) and Fu Cong (left), China’s permanent representative to the UN, arrive in Shanghai on Thursday to attend the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI governance. The artificial intelligence conference will be held from Friday to Monday. FANG ZHE / XINHUA
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference, which is now in its ninth consecutive year, has evolved into a premier stage for enterprises to showcase their latest technological advancements — innovations widely expected to empower the workplace and drive industrial transformation, according to experts and industry executives attending the event.
Under the theme "AI Partnership for a Brighter Future", this year's conference is making history with an exhibition area exceeding 100,000 square meters, spanning four venues across Shanghai. Over 1,100 domestic and international companies are set to unveil more than 300 products that are making their world debut during the four-day event, which opens on Friday.
Products and technologies independently developed by Chinese companies are a major highlight of this year's conference.
Shanghai-based StepFun is unveiling STEPX Neo, the world's first smartphone to pass China's new L3 certification for AI terminal intelligence — a level that requires the device to autonomously understand complex user intents, break down tasks and coordinate actions across multiple apps.
