Shanghai AI Conference Sees Record Attendance and Enthusiasm Amid Global AI Frenzy
Quick Look
- The World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai experienced its most vibrant event since 2018, with record attendance and high temperatures.
- Driven by global AI frenzy and official endorsement, tickets were scalped for over 1,000 yuan, attracting industry insiders, parents, and job-seeking graduates.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai experienced its most vibrant event since its inception in 2018, marked by record attendance and high temperatures.
Traffic almost came to a standstill 2km (1.2 miles) from the Shanghai Expo Centre on Friday, the first day of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC). With temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), scores of attendees abandoned their taxis to walk the rest of the way under the hot sun.
This year’s conference mirrored the weather: it was the hottest, most crowded WAIC in my six years covering the event and, I was told, the most vibrant since its inception in 2018.
Xi’s presence and endorsement, along with the global frenzy around agentic AI, also pushed attendee enthusiasm to an unprecedented level, something especially evident at the World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre, an exhibition hall a few hundred metres from the main conference venue.
Tickets officially priced at 168 yuan (US$24.82) were scalped for upwards of 1,000 yuan, snapped up not just by industry insiders who wanted to learn about the latest AI trends, but also by parents eager to paint a tech-forward future for their children and young graduates looking to secure jobs in the booming industry.
