The World Artificial Intelligence Conference (#WAIC2026) takes place in Shanghai from July 17 to 20, bringing together cutting-edge AI technologies, industry applications and global discussions on both the technology and its governance. World Economic Forum Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer Stephan Mergenthaler believes that despite AI's rapid advances, we are only one-third into the broader transformation it promises. Turning technological breakthroughs into organizational capabilities and tangible economic value remains one of the key challenges – one of the core themes driving discussions at WAIC.