The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC 2026) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, kicking off on Friday in Shanghai, marks a powerful top-level endorsement of China's strategic AI roadmap, with President Xi Jinping confirmed to attend. The four-day conference features over 1,100 confirmed exhibitors displaying more than 3,000 innovative products, including 300 global debuts, across an unprecedented 100,000 square meters in the Pudong New Area and Xuhui District. Under the theme "AI Partnership for a Brighter Future," the summit expects more than 1,400 international guests across 140-plus forums. Shanghai Vice Mayor Chen Jie stated that as of 2025, Shanghai was home to 394 large-scale AI enterprises generating a combined revenue of 637 billion yuan (US$94 billion), reflecting a 39.5 percent year-on-year growth. Xu Qi, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai AI Industry Association, projected that annual AI industry revenues in the city will surpass the 1-trillion-yuan threshold during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). WAIC 2025 drew over 350,000 visitors and facilitated 156 procurement groups resulting in 16.2 billion yuan in intended deals.