Agentic AI products became the main theme of WAIC 2026
Artificial intelligence is no longer an abstract theory — it is becoming a working tool that takes on routine tasks, analyses data and makes decisions in real time. At WAIC 2026, agentic systems demonstrated that AI can not only accelerate processes but also connect disparate industries into a single intelligent ecosystem. From cross‑border e‑commerce to logistics management at the World Cup, AI agents are already here and changing the rules of the game.
The four‑day World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the High‑Level Meeting on Global AI Governance concluded on Monday. One of the Agentic AI products showcased at the conference allows users to generate visualised industry reports in just two to three minutes, whereas previously it took several hours. "It can handle repetitive tasks through AI agents, mobilise a wide range of specialised skills and tools available in the market, analyse the environment to anticipate your intentions in advance, plan the next steps, and ultimately deliver results to you," said Li Jingqiu, one of the exhibitors. Another highlight was an AI platform that helps cross‑border businesses thrive. "We have more advanced large‑model AI development technologies that help cross‑border businesses improve business assessment, financial compliance, intelligent logistics and overseas marketing across various scenarios," said Liang Shun, another exhibitor.
At the event, Chinese payment card giant China UnionPay launched its open Agentic Payment Open Protocol, establishing a unified trust mechanism and interoperability standard, enabling businesses to seamlessly and securely join the payment platform. "We have already completed verified transactions with dozens of ecosystem partners in various real‑world scenarios, including overseas hotel bookings, in‑car agent payments, AI‑powered flight bookings, bill payments through the UnionPay Yunshanfu app, and offline intelligent ordering. This removes barriers between agents from different providers and accelerates the formation of a fully integrated intelligent ecosystem," said Wang Yujie from UnionPay. The token factory system demonstrated at the event showed how computing power, data and modelling capabilities are combined to continuously generate stable intelligent resources, providing fundamental support for AI deployment across a wide range of industries. The system was used at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the underlying computing infrastructure for AI applications at the tournament.
WAIC 2026 in Shanghai served as the leading platform for demonstrating how Agentic AI is moving from concept to real‑world deployment. The platforms showcased at the conference cover finance, logistics, international trade and even sports, demonstrating the versatility of agentic systems. UnionPay's open protocol and the token factory for FIFA are examples of how standardisation and trust are becoming key factors in scaling AI. As CCTV+ reports. The technologies shown at WAIC confirm that artificial intelligence is becoming not just an assistant but a full‑fledged agent capable of autonomously solving complex tasks across diverse sectors.
