WAIC City Walk 2026 brings AI experiences across Shanghai from July 15–20
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SHANGHAI — The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) will run from July 17 to 20, with a citywide hands‑on program called WAIC City Walk starting two days earlier. From July 15 to 20, visitors can experience AI across historic neighborhoods, innovation hubs, cultural venues, and commercial spaces throughout Shanghai, according to an announcement on the Shanghai government portal.
Eight featured AI venues span the city:
- Zhangyuan (Jing’an): An embodied AI robot will make coffee inside a century‑old shikumen complex.
- META500 (Jing’an): A historic villa turned into an immersive XR space where technology meets art.
- SMC × Z·Pilot (Xuhui): The Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center (SMC) hosts the Z·Pilot experience space showcasing more than 500 cutting‑edge AI devices worldwide for visitors to try.
- AGI Bar (Xuhui): Features neural‑network‑inspired lighting and an AI‑generated drinks menu.
- Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall (Xuhui): MR and VR technologies transform Yuja Wang’s piano performance into an immersive sensory experience.
- MetAI Hub (Pudong New Area): A nearly 2,000‑square‑meter hub covering the AI development chain from algorithm research to embodied AI applications.
- Shanghai Carbon Secret Museum (Hongkou): A motion‑activated digital exhibit on sustainable living and a DeepSeek AI agent.
- Shanghai Film Park (Songjiang): Visitors can walk through the life‑size Huanghe Road set built for the TV series Blossoms Shanghai.
Six themed industry routes will be available July 18–20 for professionals and groups, bookable via the Hi WAIC app:
- AI innovation ecosystem route: Visits Model Power Community and SMC, with trials of AI glasses and virtual outfit try‑ons.
- AI science exploration route: Tours Zhangjiang AI Robot Valley and the country’s first embodied AI training facility for heterogeneous humanoid robots, with over 10 robot types and 100 stations.
- AI culture and entertainment route: Explores Shanghai Film Group’s Haopu Smart Industry Community, including the first AI computing power pool dedicated to film and TV and a virtual production studio, plus embodied AI interactions and an AI industry salon at AGI Bar.
- Digital industry and consumer route: Observes a dual‑arm robot barista at Siemens Smart Manufacturing Innovation Center and explores a virtual factory via VR, with AI‑powered skin and scalp assessments at Beauty Nova Tech Hub.
- Industrial innovation ecosystem route: At Maqiao AI Innovation Pilot Zone, 18 writing robots depict AI’s evolution from the Turing test to the AI agent era, with interactive models and robotic arms.
- Yangtze River Delta sci‑tech innovation route: Visits Yangtze River Delta Hi‑Tech Park and Xicen Sci‑tech Innovation Center to highlight regional AI collaboration.
Participants generate a personal City Walk pass by downloading the Hi WAIC app and registering. Each route includes story‑based missions: tap phones against Alipay NFC signs to check in, collect digital stamps, and redeem rewards such as WAIC‑themed blind boxes, limited‑edition notebooks, commemorative T‑shirts, gift sets, and computing‑power vouchers.
Sources: World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Shanghai Morning Post; Shanghai government portal (July 14, 2026).