Application Review | How to enjoy WAIC this year? With three AI-themed loops, experience the future of the city in one day!

In the current era when artificial intelligence is accelerating its way out of laboratories and off exhibition stands, the true value of AI lies not only in the cutting - edge topic of technological breakthroughs but also in whether it can truly penetrate into the fabric of the city. At WAIC 2025, visiting the exhibition is not just a casual stroll but an immersive "journey around". Today, let me, your intelligent tour guide buddy - Hi! WAIC, take you on an easy exploration of the "Three Rings" of the 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Want to feel how AI integrates into life, the city, and industries? Come with me and embark on this AI roaming journey that covers the venue and Shanghai's streets, allowing you to personally experience the daily magic of AI, where a simple touch makes it playable and useful! Let's go!

Inner Ring of Intelligent Life: AI is Right by Your Side, Touchable and Playable!

For AI to enter people's lives, it can't just be a technological showcase. It also has to be useful, fun, and approachable.

So, my first stop takes you to the Inner Ring of Intelligent Life that surrounds the Expo Exhibition Hall. The large - screen at the main entrance is also my partner - the intelligent tour guide large - screen. You can check the real - time map, find booths, and look up dining options, which helps relieve your anxiety about getting lost in the "last 100 meters"! Then, as we enter the Inner Ring of Intelligent Life, you'll find that it's not a cold exhibition stand. Instead, you can watch shows and visit the market with a "group of robots", and try out new AI applications in food, clothing, daily use, and transportation, allowing you to feel the impact of AI on daily life in a relaxed atmosphere.

Robot Stage: An AI Version of the Old Shanghai Streets

Entering the core area of the Inner Ring of Intelligent Life - "The Skill Stage in WAIC" is like suddenly traveling back in time to the old Shanghai alleyways. However, the familiar uncles and aunts in the barbershop, grocery store, and handicraft shop have been replaced by a busy "group of robots".

Neighborhood Cultural Station: Watch robots write calligraphy, perform dragon dances, and play drums while you stroll around and have fun.

Wit Snack Street: Robots mix drinks and cook delicious food. Visiting the exhibition can also be like exploring a food destination.

Smart Repair Shop & Manufacturing Workshop: Witness the delicate repairs in the smart repair shop and the industrial operations in the manufacturing workshop, and see how AI can work as a "blue - collar worker".

Smart Grocery Store: Experience intelligent retail in the smart grocery store. Just scan and pay. AI has mastered the convenience store business.

Application Market: Unlock the Multiple Facets of AI Play

Don't miss my highly recommended "Application Market" when you're halfway through the visit. This is an "amusement park" where you can experience the core AI technologies up close. It features a variety of interactive experiences, allowing you to use your hands, ears, and heart to feel the charm of technology.

Robot Technology Innovation: Tencent Robotics X and Futian Laboratory's TAIROS Embodied Intelligence Open Platform enables robots to understand instructions, perceive the environment, and plan actions. You can "just tell the robot to cook a meal for you" on - site.

Aesthetic Technology Laboratory: The "Sympathetic Growth · Emotional Roaming" AI art therapy installation from the China Academy of Art invites visitors to resonate emotionally through the sensing device and feel the blend of individual and group emotions in the virtual space. "Scholar · Wonderful Analysis" (ArtiMuse) combines AI technology with art theory and creates a seven - dimensional aesthetic evaluation system. Upload your works, and AI and experts will jointly evaluate them. See if you're a composition master or a style guru!

Sensory Intelligent Interaction: At the XREAL One Pro site, you can experience "switching the virtual screen with a single command", easily unlocking new immersive experiences in full - scenario spatial computing such as movie - watching and gaming.

VR/AR Large - scale Space: Come to WAIC and experience "The Prequel of The Investiture of the Gods" in VR! Put on the headset and instantly travel back to the Shang Dynasty. AI restores the details of bronze ware and oracle bone inscriptions, and you can even see the inscriptions on the inner walls of cultural relics. Follow the female general Fu Hao to experience the battlefield. With anti - motion - sickness technology and AI collision avoidance, it's like really stepping into the bronze world 3,000 years ago. This summer, we can watch movies while standing!

AI Meets Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Double Buff of Culture and Technology

In the Inner Ring of Intelligent Life, there's a special area for teenagers - the WAIC Young exhibition area. Here, traditional culture is deeply integrated with AI technology. AI has become a tool for cultural innovation, preserving the essence of intangible cultural heritage and allowing traditional culture to enter the vision of young people in a new way.

"Make a Cheongsam for Mom": Choose the style, pick the frog buttons, and draw the patterns. AI will generate the design drawing with one click and even create a video of your mom walking the runway in the virtual cheongsam. In minutes, you can become a young designer!

"Make a Tea Cup for Dad": Select a classic tea - cup shape. AI will customize a unique pattern for you, along with a warm slogan. Give it to your dad for a tech - version "gentleman" experience.

"I'm a Young Ethnic Musician": AI has prepared intangible cultural heritage ethnic music from 18 provinces. After choosing an instrument, tap the virtual drum keys, and AI will instantly synthesize a concerto and generate your personal performance video. You can play music and "debut".

"AI Shadow Puppet Duel": Recreate classic scenes from "Journey to the West", "Water Margin", and "Investiture of the Gods". Use motion capture to control shadow puppet characters in battles. With a built - in scoring system, shadow puppetry instantly becomes an interactive game.

Half of the curatorial team for the entire exhibition area is made up of post - 2000s. They use a young perspective to make "traditional culture + AI" more fun. They also designed an "AI Intangible Cultural Heritage Passport", allowing you to experience the projects one by one like a game. Collect all the stamps and you can exchange them for limited - edition souvenirs.

Surprise Flash Mobs Around the Corner!

Do you think there are only exhibits? No No No! There are plenty of wonderful flash mob performances hidden along the entire walkway! A total of 29 different - themed flash mob shows are arranged throughout the WAIC site.

In Parade Group A, you can see robots and dogs on parade, interact with the Qu Yuan robot, and dance with robots.

In Parade Group B, you can hear music played by bionic hands on the piano and watch Unitree robots dance.

There are also wonderful stage shows where robots/dogs will perform collectively. Watch the robot lion dance and more.

You can also watch robots perform tai chi, do face - changing, and lion dance at the Robot Sports Meeting.

Visitors can encounter wonderful performances at any time in the exhibition area, truly realizing an immersive roaming experience of "people strolling, shows performing, and AI serving".

Middle Ring of Urban Services: Reach for the Sky and Dive into the Ground, Try Future Transportation Now!

After exploring daily life, let's broaden our horizons! Follow me out of the exhibition hall and come to the Middle Ring of Urban Services at the North Square! Here, you can experience intelligent driverless vehicles, watch low - altitude drone formation shows, and feel the sense of the future of integrated air - ground travel.

Autonomous Driving and Intelligent Shuttle Service

This year, SAIC IM will jointly provide L4 - level autonomous driving shuttle services with industry leaders such as Pony.ai, Chery, and Baidu Zhixing, allowing Robotaxis to run on the open urban roads in Shanghai!

During the conference, you can:

At the waiting area in the North Square of the exhibition hall, visitors can experience short - distance fixed - route shuttle services by RoboTaxi.

Within a road range of about 30 kilometers around the Expo Exhibition Hall, visitors can place orders for Robotaxi shuttle services through the corresponding enterprise APPs/miniprograms.

Low - altitude Flight Show: A Multi - scenario Drone Matrix

The North Square directly transforms into a low - altitude economy test field. In the near future, drones will shuttle between cities for services, and flying saucers for transportation will become a daily sight.

The manned flying saucer eVTOL brought by SMD Intelligent Aviation is like a science - fiction movie coming to life, redefining the shape of future vehicles. It makes you feel like you're taking an 'alien - style ride - hailing service' in the city sky in advance.

Drones can handle everything from delivering express, emergency rescue, to tourism. There's also an incredibly fun interactive show like "drone football"!

Here, you can even see drones from multiple leading enterprises taking off jointly and performing flight shows at different times.

Outer Ring of Industrial Ecosystem: Take a City Walk Across Shanghai, Turn the City into a Super - Cool AI Exhibition Hall!