WAIC 2026 Highlights AI Computing and Embodied Intelligence as Autonomous Driving Advances Toward Self-Perception and Decision-Making

In July 2026, the 7th World Artificial Intelligence Conference was held simultaneously across four venues in Shanghai—Expo, Zhangjiang, and West Bund. This year’s exhibition layout underwent significant changes, with Intelligent Computing and Embodied Intelligence emerging as the two core themes, each attracting over 200 participating companies. In contrast to previous editions that primarily focused on showcasing large model parameters and benchmark rankings, this year’s conference highlighted a new trend: autonomous driving is shifting toward self-perception and proactive decision-making.