BAI Participates in the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai
Blockchain Alliance International participated in the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), one of the world’s major platforms bringing together technological innovation, industry, research and international policy dialogue. Held under the theme “AI Partnership for a Brighter Future,” the Conference gathered government leaders, international organizations, business executives, scientists and researchers from more than 100 countries and international organizations. President of China Xi Jinping delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony, which was also attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and other international leaders.
Compared with BAI’s participation in WAIC 2025, the 2026 Conference demonstrated a further evolution from discussing the opportunities and risks of rapidly developing AI toward practical deployment, international cooperation and more structured approaches to global governance. Global leaders called for openness and innovation, secure and controllable AI, inclusiveness, and stronger global governance with an important role for the United Nations. President Xi of China announced 5,000 AI training and seminar opportunities for developing countries over the next five years, alongside international AI application cooperation centers and other capacity-building measures. The Conference discussions similarly placed growing emphasis on AI agents, open-source ecosystems, data governance, sustainable AI, skills, safety and the practical application of AI across economic and social sectors.
A particularly significant development was the signing in Shanghai of the agreement establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO). The Conference Chair’s Statement describes WAICO as the world’s first intergovernmental international organization dedicated to AI, with headquarters in Shanghai and an objective of helping bridge the AI divide, including by strengthening innovation, application and governance capacity in Global South countries. The new organization is intended to remain open to all countries and to engage with other international organizations. This institutional development gave WAIC 2026 an additional dimension: the Conference served not only as a meeting place for global AI dialogue, but also as a venue where emerging mechanisms for longer-term international cooperation began to take shape.
The technological side of WAIC remained equally prominent. Across the conference venues and the WAIC Expo, participants encountered rapidly expanding applications of AI – from large models, intelligent agents and robotics to smart manufacturing, mobility, healthcare and other industry solutions. For BAI, the exhibition and accompanying meetings were particularly valuable because they provided an opportunity to move beyond general discussions and engage directly with companies developing practical technologies that could potentially be adapted, transferred or introduced to SMEs and institutions in other markets, including developing countries.
BAI’s participation in WAIC 2026 formed part of its broader effort to connect the international AI and sustainable-development dialogue with practical partnerships and technology applications. During its stay in Shanghai, the BAI delegation held exchanges with technology companies, SMEs, academic representatives and other participants, exploring opportunities for future cooperation and international outreach. These discussions also prepared the ground for BAI’s participation in the CASME Forum on AI for SMEs and the signing of a new cooperation agreement with the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises. BAI will continue using the relationships established during WAIC to connect innovators with international partners and to promote responsible, inclusive and human-centered applications of AI that can support SMEs, public institutions and sustainable development.
