Shanghai is putting the finishing touches on the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), which opens on Friday and is set to become China's largest AI event to date.

Held alongside the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, this year's conference spans three locations and four venues across the city, including the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center, Zhangjiang Science City and the West Bund.

More than 1,100 companies will showcase over 3,000 AI products, with around 300 making their global debut. The exhibition covers 100,000 square metres, equivalent to 14 standard football pitches, and was completed in just 12 days, 40 percent faster than at previous editions.

Final preparations are underway, with teams testing digital exhibition systems and fine-tuning lighting, sound, interactive displays and robotic demonstrations.

Widely regarded as one of the world's leading AI gatherings, WAIC is recognised for bringing together cutting-edge research and practical applications, highlighting the latest advances in large language models and other emerging AI technologies.