51 Observations from This Year's WAIC
The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai was marked by unprecedented scale, massive crowds, and a strong focus on embodied AI and AI agents, reflecting China's intense drive in the AI sector.
Intelligence analysis by Gemini 2.5 Flash
This year's WAIC showcased a vibrant and at times chaotic landscape of China's AI industry, with record exhibitor numbers, a dominant presence of embodied AI robots, and a clear shift from chatbots to more sophisticated AI agents. Despite logistical challenges and some critical observations, the event underscored a collective enthusiasm and a sense of urgency to innovate and apply AI …
Imagine a giant fair where super-smart computers and robots show off what they can do! This year, everyone was excited about robots that can do real jobs like making tea, and smart computer helpers called 'agents' that can do many tasks. It was super crowded, and many companies showed off their big computer brains. Even though some robots are still a bit slow, everyone believes these smart machines will change the world, like a big, shiny bubble of new ideas.
Analysis
Unprecedented Scale and Buzz
The 2026 WAIC was characterized by its immense scale, spanning 'three venues and four halls,' which proved challenging to navigate fully due to the sheer size and peak crowd traffic. Despite the logistical hurdles, the event drew an overwhelming number of attendees, with the author noting that 'half my WeChat circle' seemed to be present. This year saw the largest number of exhibitors in WAIC's history, featuring large-scale displays like Huawei's, Muxi's, and Moore Threads' multi-card clusters, which, while impressive in their physical presence, often lacked interactive elements, creating a 'primitive worship' atmosphere around static hardware.
The palpable enthusiasm was not limited to industry insiders; many ordinary people attended driven by a fear of missing out (FOMO), expressing a desire to stay current with rapid AI advancements. This widespread interest, even leading to on-site job seeking, highlighted WAIC's role as a central gathering point for the tech community, surpassing traditional job fairs in its density of technology companies and potential opportunities.
Embodied AI and Agent Evolution
Embodied AI emerged as the undisputed hottest exhibition area, occupying a significant portion of the main venue. The density and competitiveness among robot developers reached new heights, with companies like Unitree moving beyond simple demonstrations to showcase practical applications such as tea-making, cooking, and massage, emphasizing their 'utility value.' While acknowledging that current robots are still slower than human labor, the sheer volume and collective effort in Chinese embodied AI were described as a 'steel torrent,' signaling a national push to compete globally.
Beyond hardware, the narrative clearly shifted from basic chatbots to advanced AI agents, which are now considered essential for industry relevance. Companies like Tencent showcased an 'Agent full family bucket,' leveraging product capabilities to compensate for model limitations. Among the 'AI six tigers,' Minimax demonstrated a balanced approach to coding and multimodal creation, while 01.AI's Kai-Fu Lee personally engaged with visitors, boldly proclaiming a 'five tigers and one leopard' landscape. Jiyue offered a superior user experience with its AI phone and robot-building demonstrations, while Kimi, despite a small booth, attracted significant media attention due to its powerful new models.
Industry Dynamics and Emerging Narratives
The 'Token economy' gained significant traction as an industry consensus, with some intermediaries openly promoting 'selling Tokens' as the next major trend. This contrasted sharply with the surprisingly quiet 'one-person company' (OPC) exhibition area, raising questions about AI's immediate ability to displace traditional business structures. Major tech players presented diverse strategies: Alibaba showcased its full-stack capabilities from chips to hardware, including a mysterious AI earphone, while ByteDance, despite lacking an independent booth, maintained a strong presence through partners and viral memes like 'Doujiao.' Baidu, however, faced criticism for its continued emphasis on the 'Daily Active Agents' concept, which was seen as out of touch.
The conference also featured a robust academic presence, including nine Turing Award winners, though many presentations were broadly generalized. A notable exception was Professor Zhu Songchun's critical perspective on AGI as an 'American trap,' challenging the narrative of information 'backflow' from the US. Other observations included a cooling interest in AI glasses, the disconnect of banks' AI customer service from public demand, China Mobile's role as a token intermediary, and the unexpected attention garnered by the 'Mazu' weather model due to recent climate events. The author concluded by reflecting on the 'bubble' question, asserting that its existence is less important than the imaginative power it unleashes, ultimately transforming the world.
Key points
- The 2026 WAIC was the largest ever, with record exhibitors and massive crowds, highlighting widespread interest and FOMO.
- Embodied AI (robots) was the hottest sector, with companies focusing on practical applications like tea-making and cooking, signaling a 'steel torrent' of Chinese development.
- The industry is shifting from chatbots to AI agents, with major players like Tencent and the 'AI six tigers' showcasing diverse agent-based solutions.
- The 'Token economy' is emerging as a new consensus, with some companies directly marketing the sale of AI tokens.
- Observations included a decline in AI glasses hype, critical academic perspectives on AGI narratives, and the continued struggle of some traditional companies to innovate effectively.
The overwhelming enthusiasm and 'steel torrent' of Chinese embodied AI development suggest a rapid acceleration in practical robot applications, potentially leading to significant advancements in automation and productivity. The emerging 'Token economy' consensus could also foster new business models and a more efficient marketplace for AI capabilities, driving innovation across various sectors.
Despite the hype, many robots are still far from practical, with demonstrations often sped up to appear efficient, indicating a gap between current capabilities and real-world utility. The 'Token economy' could also be a speculative bubble, and the observed disconnect of some established companies from user needs suggests potential misallocation of resources or a failure to adapt to rapidly evolving AI trends.
