World Summit AI (WSAI) will return to Amsterdam on 7 and 8 October 2026 for its 10th anniversary edition, bringing together more than 10,000 attendees from over 130 countries for its largest global gathering to date. Held at Taets Art and Event Park, the 2026 summit will convene leaders from enterprise, big tech, start ups, investment, academia and government to examine how AI is being built, deployed and governed at scale.
Key Highlights
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World Summit AI’s 10th anniversary edition runs 7 and 8 October 2026 at Taets Art and Event Park, Amsterdam
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Theme is “Shaping the new AI paradigm,” with 300+ speakers and 100+ exhibitors expected
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Headline speakers include Audrey Tang, Zico Kolter, Marietje Schaake, Grady Booch and Mark Papermaster of AMD
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An invitation only Opening Night on 6 October will feature “An audience with Audrey Tang”
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Sponsors include Global Partners Airia and SAP, Platinum Partner HP, and Gold Partners Figma and Glean
Shaping the New AI Paradigm
Under the banner “Shaping the new AI paradigm,” WSAI 2026 will feature a more expansive programme designed to serve both technical and non technical audiences. World Summit AI’s Chief Operating Officer, Maisie Holder, said the event began nearly a decade ago, before AI became a global headline, with a simple belief that the future of the technology should be shaped through open dialogue across the whole ecosystem. As AI becomes more powerful and more consequential, she said, it is more important than ever to bring people together to challenge ideas, share perspectives and help shape what comes next.
A turning point for AI Governance
The 10th anniversary edition comes at an inflection point for AI governance, safety and sovereignty, as governments and regulators develop new frameworks, enterprises deploy increasingly powerful models, and infrastructure choices take on geopolitical significance. World Summit AI will convene the people shaping AI policy, infrastructure and deployment to move the conversation beyond broad principles and toward practical approaches for responsible, resilient AI. As the anchor event of World AI Week, WSAI26 will sit at the centre of more than 100 fringe events taking place across Amsterdam from 5 to 9 October 2026.
Headline Speakers Announced
Confirmed headline speakers include Audrey Tang, Cyber Ambassador for the Government of Taiwan; Zico Kolter, Board member of OpenAI, Chief Scientist at Gray Swan AI and Professor at Carnegie Mellon University; Marietje Schaake, Fellow at Stanford University’s Institute for Human Centered Artificial Intelligence and former Member of the European Parliament; and Grady Booch, ACM Fellow, IBM Fellow and IEEE Computing Pioneer. Also confirmed are Dr Simon See, Professor at Nanyang Technological University and Global Head of NVAITC at NVIDIA; Dr Ling Ge, Chief Investment and Strategy Officer for EMEA at Tencent; Mark Papermaster, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President at AMD; and Harrison Chase, Co Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LangChain.
Opening Night: Celebrating 10 Years
To mark the anniversary, World Summit AI will also host an invitation only Opening Night on 6 October in Amsterdam for valued speakers, VIPs, long standing supporters and senior AI leaders, with selected journalists able to request access. The evening will include “An audience with Audrey Tang” and a special guest to be announced. The summit will close the 10 year celebrations with an afterparty in the custom built mainstage marquee from 4 to 6pm on 8 October.
Sponsors and Host Partners
Sponsors include Global Partners Airia and SAP, Platinum Partner HP, and Gold Partners Figma and Glean. The City of Amsterdam returns in its long standing partnership with WSAI as Headline City Host Partner.
About World Summit AI
World Summit AI is the world’s leading AI summit, bringing together the people shaping how artificial intelligence is researched, governed and deployed globally. Since launching in Amsterdam in 2017, the summit has become a critical meeting point for enterprise leaders, big tech, start ups, researchers, policymakers, investors and ethical experts from across the global AI ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the World Summit AI 2026 taking place?
The World Summit AI 2026 will take place on 7 and 8 October 2026.
Where will the World Summit AI 2026 be held?
The summit will be held at Taets Art and Event Park in Amsterdam.
Who are some of the headline speakers at the event?
Headline speakers include Audrey Tang, Zico Kolter, Marietje Schaake, Grady Booch, and Mark Papermaster of AMD.
What is the theme of the World Summit AI 2026?
The theme for the 2026 summit is ‘Shaping the new AI paradigm’.
The TCB View
A 10th anniversary edition landing amid an active debate over AI governance and sovereignty is well timed. What stands out in WSAI26’s lineup is the mix of state actors, such as Taiwan’s Audrey Tang, alongside chipmakers like AMD and hyperscaler adjacent names like NVIDIA and Tencent sharing the same stage. That combination reflects where the AI conversation has actually moved: infrastructure and policy are no longer separate tracks, they are the same conversation, and events that can credibly host both sides are becoming rarer and more valuable.
