8th World Artificial Intelligence Conference

The 8th World Artificial Intelligence Conference (世界人工智能大会), or WAIC, was held in Shanghai from July 28 to July 30, 2025, with participation from representatives from more than 40 countries — as China pressed to position itself as a global leader on AI development and governance. WAIC is an annual Shanghai-based event that bills itself as “one of the most influential AI events within the global tech, science, and industry ecosystem.” Launched in 2018 and hosted by several Chinese government ministries and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government (上海市人民政府), with Donghao Lansheng Group (东浩兰生集团) as executive organizer, WAIC has convened for seven consecutive years, featuring scientists, entrepreneurs, government officials, and investors. Donghao Lansheng Group is a state-owned enterprise based in Shanghai, whose sole shareholder is the Shanghai State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (上海市国有资产监督管理委员会). Co-organizing ministries include the National Development and Reform Commission (国家发展和改革委员会), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (工业和信息化部), the Ministry of Science and Technology (科学技术部), the State Internet Information Office (国家互联网信息办公室), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院), the Chinese Academy of Engineering (中国工程院), and the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (中国科学技术协会). The 2025 edition, held July 26-28 under the theme “Global Solidarity in the AI Era,” attracted over 800 companies and featured more than 3,000 exhibits — and was heavily billed by state media as a sign of China’s global leadership on AI safety and other key emerging global issues in the field. Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李强) used the platform to propose a global AI governance framework, while CNN reported the conference showcased China’s technological capabilities amid ongoing US-China AI competition, with demonstrations including “mahjong-playing humanoid” robots and boxing robots that “quickly caught the attention of visitors.”