Shanghai to Host 2026 Global Developer Pioneer Conference and Embodied Intelligence Skills Competition

Organizers said the conference will follow a 'one competition, one opening ceremony and N developer activities' structure. It continues the 'Developers, seek and find' theme and aims to enrich embodied AI applications, support ten-thousand-unit-scale deployment and bolster Shanghai's effort to build an international science and technology innovation center.

The competition will include nine major tracks and 23 events. Scene providers including Yanfeng Automotive, Yingzhong Information, Shanghai History Museum, Shanghai Institute of Quality Inspection and Technical Research, Bailian Group, STO Express, China Life Property & Casualty Insurance, Tianyi Digital Life Technology, Zhejiang Qiushi Research Institute and Goertek will bring real production, service and public-sector needs to the venue. More than 1,000 teams will compete, and the event will assess robots' actual work success rates, efficiency gains, safety and reliability, and economic feasibility, organizers said. They aim to create 100 high-value application scenarios and move toward 10,000-unit deployment.

The organizer described the competition as a test of robot job skills rather than a stage show. According to the announcement, more than 10,000 robots have already been deployed in Zhangjiang AI Innovation Town, and the event will raise the human-to-robot ratio on site. Robot capabilities are being divided into reusable work skill packages covering loading and unloading, welding, precision assembly, quality inspection, energy inspection, security patrols, supermarket retail, parcel sorting, elderly care, firefighting, emergency rescue, cultural tourism guides and science education training.

AgiBot, Unitree, the National and Local Center, Fourier, Lenovo, Keenon, JAKA, Kepler and other complete-machine and humanoid robot companies will exhibit alongside core component makers and application companies. Displays will include complete machines as well as dexterous hands, joint modules, reducers and force-tactile sensors. Over the three days, the event will show the chain from core components and prototypes to mass production, organizers said.

More than 100 domestic and international open-source communities and institutions will participate in a dedicated open-source and developer community session. Speakers include OpenJS Foundation Executive Director Robin Bender Ginn; former Linux Foundation Strategic Vice President Ibrahim Haddad; and Lovell AI co-founder and CEO Jeanine Banks, a former Google developer relations president. Topics include open-source software and hardware for embodied intelligence, robot industry profitability, the future of AI, open models and software, and robot technology inspired by human infant cognition. AWS User Group and Volcano Engine Developer Community will also take part.

Kupas will release industry standards in construction, law, finance, embodied intelligence and AI for science, and will publish evaluation results and rankings for the first time, according to the announcement. China Mobile will release three 'spatiotemporal intelligence' models and scenario benchmarks for geophysical applications, park governance and smart workshops. The geophysical scenario uses spatiotemporal representation for surface remote-sensing change detection and terrain refinement; the park governance scenario builds centimeter-level real-time reconstruction models; and the smart workshop scenario creates an indoor spatiotemporal perception system for real-scene twins, simulation and time-series prediction.

The event will also include an AI Talent Show, where the public can present AI creative works, with winning performances appearing at the main venue carnival. Organizers said five programs will be staged, including original songs created with AI, a performance by the 'Mojia' robot band and a robotic combat demonstration. Forbes China will hold its only award dinner focused on 'non-human subjects' during the same period; award recipients will be humanoid robots and AI digital humans, in a format combining a list release and a closed-door dinner.

Coinciding with 1024 Programmer's Day, the conference will bring together founders and CEOs from companies including Moushen Intelligence, Yuanse Future, Junao Panshi, Jijia Vision and Moqi Intelligence. Organizers said the group is on average under 30 years old and covers world models, VLA, VLM and end-to-end embodied AI routes. They will discuss whether world models or end-to-end embodied large models will lead, and how embodied intelligence can leave the laboratory and reach mass production.

Developer activities will include lectures and workshops on human-AI collaboration, with forward-deployed engineers connecting AI technology to industry needs. In another session, organizers will discuss how agents can act like employees with their own identity markers and how humans can work with AI 'new colleagues.' At Zhangjiang Science Hall, more than 200 supply-chain companies will present a full embodied AI bill of materials, including self-developed chips for 3D vision modules, mass-produced bionic tactile components, multi-degree-of-freedom dexterous hands, planetary roller screws with million-set annual capacity, high-durability wiring harnesses and wireless recharging for robot dogs, according to the announcement.

Editor's Summary The 2026 Global Developer Pioneer Conference and International Embodied Intelligence Skills Competition will take place Oct. 23-25 in Pudong, Shanghai, combining a 23-event robotics competition with developer sessions, open-source meetings and product releases. Organizers say the event is intended to test embodied AI in real work settings and support a push toward 10,000-unit deployment, with more than 1,000 teams, 200-plus supply-chain companies and 100-plus open-source communities taking part.