Zilang Smart Valley appears at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Nantong's Zilang Smart Valley and four local technology companies presented their AI offerings at dedicated booths during the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC 2026) in Shanghai from July 17 to 20.

The Zilang Smart Valley, an AI‑focused industrial park, doubled its pavilion's floor space compared with last year's edition. During the conference, the park also hosted an AI industry ecosystem launch event, promoting its "AI+" application scenarios to potential partners and investors.

Nantong firms arrived with innovative products, ranging from generative AI and interactive installations to food‑sensing infrastructure and distributed workflow systems.

For example, Nantong WinkCore Technology, which specializes in AI content generation, motion‑sensing interactive devices, and multi‑terminal synchronized rendering, showcased its full‑stack capabilities in algorithm training, agent development, and hardware integration.

In collaboration with the School of Art at Nantong University, the company created a digital art installation that became the first real‑time co‑creation project to appear simultaneously across three major WAIC exhibition zones. Visitors could choose from six themes, including science, technology, and public welfare, then select a category such as characters or vehicles, sketch simple lines on a touchscreen, and watch the system generate a relatively complete AI‑rendered image in real time.

Nantong Shitong Data Technology presented its latest developments in full‑modal AI perception and decision‑making infrastructure for the food industry, focusing on sensor fusion and data analytics for quality and safety applications.

The expanded Nantong delegation at this year's WAIC underscores the city's growing push to integrate AI into industrial and commercial ecosystems, leveraging both applied research and cross‑sector collaboration.