Wuzhen (GNP): The 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit opened on Tuesday in Wuzhen, in China’s eastern Zhejiang Province. Governments, international organisations, businesses and academics from around the world have gathered for the event.
This year’s theme is “Open Source and Openness, Collaborative Development and Shared Benefits”. It ties into the broader aim of jointly building a community with a shared future in cyberspace. Under it, the summit puts open-source artificial intelligence (AI) in the spotlight, with talks covering technological innovation, security governance, cultural exchanges and international cooperation.
The main forum carries that focus forward through the AI Wuzhen Dialogue. It brings together leading global technology companies, executives from open-source large language model firms and AI scientists. Their task is to explore how a global open-source AI ecosystem can be built.
Beyond the main forum, the programme is broad. The summit features 27 sub-forums on topics such as cyberspace cooperation under the Global Governance Initiative, theories and policies for the digital and intelligent era, and robotics and embodied intelligence.
International interest is also visible in the summit’s case collection and technology awards. The call for outstanding cases of jointly building a community with a shared future in cyberspace drew 360 submissions from 80 countries and regions. Twenty-two of them took part for the first time, and 11 cases were shortlisted.
The World Internet Conference Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology saw similar momentum. They received more than 430 submissions from 43 countries and regions, and 18 of those were entering for the first time. International submissions rose by 21 per cent year on year, and 20 projects received awards.
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Speakers at the opening pointed to what the summit means for AI development. Wang Jian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said he believes the WIC will keep playing an important role in China’s AI progress. Because open source and openness are global by nature, he added, the Wuzhen Summit can help China contribute to AI development worldwide.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang took part in the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit on Tuesday and gave the keynote address.
John Hoffman, Chief Executive Officer of GSMA Ltd., said the summit offers a platform for sharing information and bringing ideas together on building an open internet accessible to all. He noted that this year’s theme reflects the summit’s long-standing commitment to leaving no one behind and creating opportunities for the world’s future.
Managing Editor at Global News Pakistan (GNP), with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Riphah International University, graduated with a Gold Medal. Reach out at sabahtareengnp@gmail.com
