On January 16, 2026, the WAIC UP! Global Annual Summit took place at Hong Kong Science Park, marking the first time the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) hosted its flagship annual event in Hong Kong. The milestone reflects WAIC’s continued expansion toward a more globally connected platform for AI dialogue and collaboration.
The summit brought together AI researchers, industry leaders, investors, and policymakers from around the world for a full day of discussion on frontier technologies, real-world applications, and cross-border cooperation in artificial intelligence.
As one of the Silver Founding Partners, ShareCRM participated in this landmark international event, engaging with enterprises, technology partners, and innovators across industries and regions. Beyond a high-level exchange of ideas, WAIC UP! Hong Kong demonstrated WAIC’s growing role in fostering a truly global AI ecosystem.
Hong Kong as a Strategic Hub Linking Mainland AI Practice with Global Markets
WAIC UP!’s first annual summit in Hong Kong carried clear strategic significance. It brought closer alignment between AI practices developed in mainland China—particularly in innovation hubs such as Shanghai—and Hong Kong’s strengths as an international center for finance, global business, and outbound expansion.
The event was strongly supported by the Hong Kong SAR Government and the local innovation ecosystem. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu delivered a video address underscoring AI’s role in inclusive growth, social resilience, and long-term sustainability. Leaders from government, academia, and industry across Hong Kong, mainland China, and overseas gathered to advance cross-sector collaboration in AI development.
The morning sessions examined macro trends shaping AI’s future, from technological evolution to the commercialization of research, setting the tone for the day and highlighting Hong Kong’s role as a bridge between Eastern and Western innovation ecosystems.
Piero Scaruffi, Founder and President of the Silicon Valley Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, reflected on decades of Silicon Valley innovation and shared his perspective on how AI may reshape industries in the coming decade, sparking discussion on the evolving relationship between humans and intelligent systems.
From Vision to Execution: Enterprise Applications Take Focus
In the afternoon, the agenda shifted toward execution, ecosystem development, and enterprise adoption. Multiple WAIC ecosystem tracks ran in parallel, featuring focused discussions on commercialization strategies, global expansion, enterprise use cases, and cross-regional collaboration.
At the exhibition area, the ShareCRM team hosted an on-site booth and engaged directly with enterprise representatives from different industries and markets. Through in-person conversations and product demonstrations, the team shared how CRM supports enterprise digital transformation and global operations—from unifying fragmented customer data and enabling cross-region, cross-language collaboration, to establishing a scalable foundation for AI-enabled capabilities.
Across many of these discussions, a shared understanding emerged: as AI technologies continue to advance, enterprises can only realize meaningful business value from AI if they first build clear, unified, and scalable customer and operational systems. Beyond supporting global expansion, ShareCRM remains focused on deepening the integration of AI and CRM to help enterprises create more resilient and adaptable technology foundations.
A Global AI Community, Around the Clock
As the day transitioned into evening, the summit moved into a more open and informal exchange environment. Entrepreneurs, developers, researchers, and content creators from diverse backgrounds connected in a relaxed setting to discuss AI’s long-term impact, the future of industries, and broader societal implications.
From daytime discussions on policy, research, and industry to evening community-driven conversations, WAIC UP! Hong Kong presented a multi-layered view of the ongoing AI transformation. It underscored that AI is not simply a technological upgrade, but an ecosystem shift that requires sustained collaboration across regions and industries.
Looking Ahead
For ShareCRM, participating in the WAIC UP! 2026 Hong Kong Global Annual Summit was both a valuable industry engagement and an important brand presence. It also reflects our ongoing commitment to contributing to global conversations around technology and enterprise digital transformation.
As AI continues to reshape how organizations operate, CRM is evolving from a traditional management system into a core platform that connects customers, teams, data, and intelligent capabilities. ShareCRM will continue to collaborate with partners, customers, and industry communities worldwide to support enterprises in achieving sustainable, long-term growth in the era of AI and globalization.
