Participants at the 2026 Apsara Conference watch a robot boxing performance. [Photo/Tide News]

The 2026 Apsara Conference opened in Hangzhou on Sept 22 under the theme "Intelligence Goes Beyond."

The conference's four exhibition halls, covering intelligence, computing power, creation, and industry, showcase AI applications ranging from advanced computing clusters and wearable devices to intelligent manufacturing systems.

At the main forum, Alibaba CEO Wu Yongming said AI models, AI chips, and AI cloud services will form three key foundations for the future. Alibaba's Qwen open-source models have recorded more than 3 billion downloads, with over 300,000 derivative models developed.

The conference also highlights the rise of Agentic AI, which can understand goals, break down tasks, plan steps, and use tools independently. Chinese beverage chain Goodme is using this technology to help nearly 10,000 frontline employees learn standardized procedures for new products by organizing and updating operational knowledge.

AI is also expanding into consumer products and services. AI toys developed by Maka Planet offer features like emotional support, preference memory, and personalized recommendations. Chinagoods, the digital platform of Yiwu International Trade Market, has launched an AI tool that can turn product links into promotional videos in 44 languages within three minutes.

At the frontier of research, Zhejiang University presented the Qiushi Engine, an AI research platform that completed literature reviews, designed experiments, and conducted data analysis within hours. AI is also being used to analyze satellite imagery in space, while independent developers are using AI to shorten the development cycle of overseas applications.