In 2026, the World Internet Conference Global Youth Leadership Program entered its fourth year, drawing more than 2,600 outstanding young applicants from over 140 countries and regions across six continents, further expanding its global reach and influence.
Following a review by a panel of leading global experts, 20 young people were selected from Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, The Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Romania, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Turkiye.
Four of the selected youth leaders shared their insights on cutting-edge technological innovation, digital health, cross-border digital governance and international research cooperation at the Youth and Digital Future Forum of the 2026 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit on Nov 5, 2026.
Antonino Emanuele Scurria from Italy, is a PhD researcher working on artificial intelligence and physics at the Free University of Brussels. His academic journey shifted from humanities subjects including philosophy, Latin and ancient Greek to mathematics. He gained research experience at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, during the final year of his master’s degree.
Working alongside researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research shaped his core belief: major scientific achievements stem not from individual genius, but from cross-border community collaboration.
"I'm basically developing new learning algorithms to make AI more efficient and affordable because as you may know AI right now is consuming a lot of natural resources. Fortunately nature is giving us a solution to this problem, nature itself and it's something I'm using right now to talk to you. It's my brain. It's the brain we all share. Indeed the brain is the most advanced and sophisticated learning system in nature and it's also really energy efficient so what i'm doing is basically designing new learning algorithms and new living learning architectures that are able to learn in a very efficient way," he said at the Youth and Digital Future Forum of the 2026 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit on Nov 5.
Scurria plans to advance his proposal titled "Sustainable AI for all" through a series of meetings to build a global network connecting researchers and policymakers, raising public awareness and paving pathways toward low-cost, accessible AI. He will also deliver master classes for students, teaching them to use AI with simple, open-source tools without requiring heavy computing power.
Polina Petrova from Bulgaria, said people working on open-source projects should develop empathy, cooperation and creativity alongside their technical skills.
Petrova, a WIC Global Youth Leader and a legal and ethics authority expert in new technologies at the Law and Internet Foundation, highlighted that her foundation is working on several technology projects to promote open source.
In projects that bring together people from different countries, everyone has a role to play, she said.
Differences can make it difficult to work together, but they should not keep people from trying. For Petrova, that is one reason that soft skills matter more than ever.
Liu Hui from China, is a Changjiang Distinguished Professor at Central South University. His research focuses on digital‑twin technologies and artificial intelligence, with practical applications covering smart cities, smart grids, smart logistics and the digital economy.
He heads an international research team with partners from China, the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany. In 2024, his team was honored with the World Internet Conference Award for Advanced Science and Technology. Their research outputs are now deployed in more than 50 countries.
"Our world has been facing a series of challenges including weather, medical, power, energy and transport and so on, so we really need each other," he pointed out. He hopes to build on existing networks to connect with more people around the world, share his team’s findings and deepen mutual understanding.
Nurbolat Nyshanbayev from Kazakhstan, serves as Director of the Higher School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Turan University.
His work focuses on artificial intelligence, digital governance, international relations and public policy. He believes universities should cultivate responsible global leaders building an inclusive, secure and sustainable digital future.
His papers are published in internationally indexed journals. He has developed AI-based educational programs for the responsible integration of AI into teaching and research, and convenes international forums and joint projects to address emerging digital challenges.
"My aim is when we tackle with the technologies and AI-related fields closing the gap is one of the critical and important in particular in higher education," he said at the Youth and Digital Future Forum of the 2026 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit on Nov 5.
He also stressed that though AI brings great opportunities, it requires ethical governance, cross-border cooperation, cybersecurity and inclusive digital policies. Young leaders bear a unique responsibility to ensure technology fosters trust, peace, human dignity and equal opportunities for all.
