In 1956, the Dartmouth Conference marked the moment when the term “artificial intelligence” entered human history. Seventy years later, history converged once again on the shores of the South China Sea as the 2026 AGIC Shenzhen International General Artificial Intelligence Industry Expo and the GERX Global Embodied Intelligence & Robotics Industry Expo officially opened at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Bao’an).
The 70th anniversary of the Dartmouth Conference served as the central theme and intellectual anchor of this year’s event. Three dedicated conference venues—Turing Hall, Shannon Hall, and Simon Hall—were named in honor of the pioneers who laid the foundations of the field.
More than 600 guests attended the opening ceremony, including Le Yucheng, former Vice Minister of the National Radio and Television Administration; Wang Jiangping, Member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; Lu Hongjun, Director-General of the Social Services Department of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce; Feng Riguang, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Executive Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Federation of Industry and Commerce; Xia Zuoquan, Chairman of the 2026 AGIC Conference, Chairman of the Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Industry Association, and Chairman of Zhengxuan Investment; and Fan Congming, Executive Chairman of the 2026 AGIC Conference and Executive Secretary-General of the AI Committee of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.
“Artificial intelligence has never been a solitary pursuit by a single city or country. It is a shared endeavor for all humanity.”
At the opening ceremony, Sergio Arzeni, President of the International Network for Small and Medium Enterprises (INSME) and former Director at the OECD, delivered a video address emphasizing the importance of international collaboration in advancing AI.
As 2026 marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Indonesia, Pramono Anung, Governor of the Jakarta Capital Special Region, noted in his address that Jakarta, as a digital-economy hub in ASEAN, has significant opportunities to deepen cooperation with Shenzhen in areas including smart cities and AI applications.
Zurriyot Ismailov, Acting Executive Chairman of the Central Asian Artificial Intelligence Association, noted that countries along the Belt and Road are increasingly looking to Shenzhen as a key destination for connecting with AI technologies, businesses, and industrial resources.
As a strategic partner of the conference, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Branch played an active role in this year’s event. At the opening ceremony, Ge Liang, General Manager of the Technology Finance Department at SPDB Head Office, delivered remarks on behalf of the strategic partner and shared insights on how technology finance can support the development of the AI industry, highlighting the growing collaboration between financial institutions and AI companies to foster new drivers of productivity.
Xueji Zhang, Academician of the National Academy of Engineering in Medicine and Biology and Fellow of the International Academy of Artificial Intelligence, looked further into the future, exploring the convergence of Artificial General Intelligence and life sciences, and how digital humans could redefine the boundaries of human existence.
Fan Congming, Executive Chairman of the 2026 AGIC Conference and Executive Secretary-General of the AI Committee of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, delivered the conference overview, titled “Intelligence for a Panoramic Future.”
The opening ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Third Batch of Artificial Intelligence Enterprise Recognition Certificates. Nine companies—including Yizhao Technology, Haibing Technology, Galaxy Stardust, Yihexue Technology, Community Cloud Technology, Eden Software, Zhiniao Education, Twin Cloud Computing, and Haiyuntian Technology—received recognition, marking another step in the development of a growing AI innovation ecosystem in the Greater Bay Area.
