Shanghai's Bund to host AI inclusion conference

The 2026 Inclusion Conference on the Bund is set to take place from Sept 9 to 12 at the Huangpu World Expo Park in Shanghai, focusing on transforming artificial intelligence into new productive capacity and economic opportunities to benefit more people, said organizers at a news briefing on Thursday.

The conference consists of one main forum, over 40 insight forums and a tech exhibition, gathering more than 600 scholars, scientists, business leaders, investors and builders from across the globe. It will also feature a creator stage and activities such as AI tech innovation competitions, investor-startup meetups and technology fairs.

For the first time, an AI art festival will be part of the conference, showcasing the integration of AI in music, video, art exhibitions and other artistic creation. It will bring together over 100 AI-generated films and a diverse array of performers, including digital artists, folk bands, traditional music ensembles, children's choirs and robots, to explore new forms of creation and performance co-presented by humans and AI.

Currently, AI is rapidly moving from technological breakthroughs to industrial applications, and the world is thinking more about how AI can drive new growth. During the conference, Nobel Prize laureates in economics Thomas Sargent and Philippe Aghion share their insights on the AI-driven new economy, growth and innovation, while top scholars, scientists and tech business leaders will together explore into the cutting-edge AI trends and industrial transformation.

More than 300 tech companies from the world are ready to showcase their latest offerings at the exhibition. Over 30 AI agents will demonstrate their application in work and life scenarios, and more than 40 embodied intelligence firms will highlight their practical landing in real work scenes.

With AI lowering the barriers to software development and content production, innovative forms of entrepreneurship and young builders are increasingly emerging.

Among the highlighted contests during the conference is the Bund Hackathon AI Coding Competition, which has drawn over 10,000 participants. It is worth noting that nearly 70 percent of the participants are young people under the age of 18, with the youngest participant being just six years old. Collaborating with AI using natural language, more and more young builders are bringing their fanciful ideas to life, according to the organizers.