The AI community is gearing up for the upcoming AI Engineer World’s Fair this summer, set to take place at Moscone West in San Francisco. This event aims to showcase the latest breakthroughs in AI research, engineering, and applications, and is inviting researchers, startups, and companies to submit their work as speakers or demos. With a focus on cutting-edge topics like autoresearch, memory, world models, tokenmaxxing, and vertical AI in domains like law, healthcare, and finance, the fair promises to be a major gathering for AI professionals worldwide.

Call for Speakers and New Tracks

Organizers are opening a second wave of applications for speakers and project submissions. They’re especially interested in projects related to new tracks such as autoresearch, which involves recursive self-improvement loops in model training; tokenmaxxing, which explores scaling AI teams efficiently without waste; and memory, focusing on how models improve through user interactions. Additional tracks include world models that tackle spatial intelligence and adversarial reasoning, as well as agentic commerce—how AI agents handle payments and transactions.

There’s also a strong emphasis on vertical AI applications in specific industries like law, healthcare, go-to-market strategies, and finance. Besides these, the event is open to submissions on AI for government and education, although these areas tend to evolve more slowly. Robotics demos are also encouraged, with free expo space available for showcasing physical intelligence and autonomy solutions. Startup founders can participate in a new pitching contest called the Startup Battlefield, where they will present their pre-series A companies to top venture capitalists and judges.

Anyone who applied in the first wave and was accepted will receive notification soon. New applicants are encouraged to submit their work through the provided application portal and book travel early, as the event coincides with the busy week of the World Cup in San Francisco. Successful applicants will have their travel costs reimbursed, and international attendees can request invitation letters for visas. Organizers are eager to hear from diverse voices in AI and hope to attract a wide range of innovative projects this year.

Event Highlights and Topics

The fair will feature a broad array of themes, including ongoing discussions about autoresearch—using recursive loops to improve models—and tokenmaxxing strategies that help AI teams scale without unnecessary waste. Memory models, which adapt and improve based on user interactions, will also be a key focus. Experts will present how they are building world models capable of spatial reasoning and dealing with adversarial situations.

Another exciting area is agentic commerce, where AI agents handle data payments, API transactions, and other financial operations autonomously. Vertical AI tracks will showcase domain-specific solutions in legal tech, healthcare diagnostics, marketing, and financial services, demonstrating how AI is transforming these fields. The event also welcomes submissions on AI’s role in government and education, although these areas are generally less fast-moving.

For those interested in robotics, organizers are dedicating space to live demos of autonomous machines and physical intelligence systems, including humanoids. Contact details are provided for teams wishing to set up their showcases. Additionally, a new startup competition will allow founders to pitch their companies directly to top VC investors, providing a valuable opportunity for funding and visibility.

Overall, the AI World’s Fair aims to be the biggest technical gathering of the year, bringing together researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and investors. Organizers emphasize the importance of diverse submissions—whether they are research papers, demos, or startup pitches—and encourage everyone to apply, even if they are unsure whether their work fits into existing tracks. With the event’s growing popularity and expanding program, it promises to be an exciting milestone for AI innovation in 2026.

Inspired by

• https://www.latent.space/p/ainews-ai-engineer-worlds-fair-autoresearch

Sources

• sessionize.com
• moscone.com
• smol.ai
• substack.com
• github.com