Inclusion 2026, officially the 2026 Inclusion · Conference on the Bund, runs Sept. 9–12 in Shanghai under the theme “Building the AI Economy Together”. Hosted annually by Ant Group since 2020 with official government support, the four-day event convenes over 600 global academics, entrepreneurs and investors, alongside 300 tech exhibitors, cementing its international standing as a key AI industry summit.
The event comprises a 15,000-square-metre tech exhibition, one main forum and 40 themed sessions, plus Developer Day, VC meetups and a new tech talent fair. It also debuts its first AI Art Festival, merging tech innovation with digital art creation.
Top global speakers headline the conference, including Nobel laureates Thomas Sargent and Philippe Aghion, leading Chinese academicians, and executives from Alibaba, Stripe and SenseTime. Discussions focus on AI’s transformative impact on economic growth, industrial upgrading, employment, education, green computing and social governance.
A major highlight is the mainstream adoption of accessible, real-world AI innovation. The summit spotlights the rising “one-person company” trend, as AI dismantles technical barriers and enables individual innovation beyond large enterprises. Tens of thousands have joined its tech competitions supported by major domestic AI coding platforms. Backed by Ant Group’s investment ecosystem and Plug and Play China, the event showcases innovations from 120+ startups, while a dedicated VC meetup connects global investors and emerging industry practitioners.
The inaugural on-site job fair gathers over 50 tech firms, recruiting professionals across AI models, intelligent agents, embodied intelligence and fintech to meet booming market talent demand.
Beyond industrial use cases, the conference exhibits AI’s seamless integration into everyday life. Alipay’s Abao AI delivers cross-scenario voice-powered services covering catering, travel, home care and pet medical services across multiple smart devices, enabling one-stop consultation, ordering and payment. China’s exclusive AI medical workstation Ant Afu empowers millions of doctors with intelligent tools for clinical work and research. On-site experiences also include AI coffee ordering, smart glasses coupon redemption and intelligent vehicle functions.
Embodied intelligence takes centre stage, with over 40 firms showcasing practical robotic solutions, moving past traditional gimmick-based demos to real commercial and industrial deployment. Ant Lingbo’s universal AI brain powers pharmacy robots that stably operate in narrow 80cm aisles at Shanghai Guoda Pharmacy, enabling unmanned overnight drug sorting without store renovations.
A diverse lineup of field-ready robots is on display. University-developed models support precision industrial assembly, while commercial robots automate laundry and coffee shop operations. Specialised robotic devices and exoskeletons also replace human labour in high-risk, complex environments including nuclear facilities, subways and power stations for patrol, inspection and auxiliary work.
The new AI Art Festival brings creative vitality to the summit, featuring art exhibitions, AI video screenings and a landmark offline concert headlined by Yuri, China’s officially certified AI virtual idol. Adopting an AI-human co-creation format, the event presents over 100 original AI video and art works in partnership with leading domestic creative platforms.
the 2026 Bund Summit
