This photo shows the street installation for 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, which is set to open on July 17, 2026, bringing together more than 1,100 companies and over 3,000 exhibits. Photo: VCG Inside the vast halls of the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center, visitors from around the world crowded around booths showcasing the latest AI models, robots and intelligent devices, while just steps away, representatives from Global South countries discussed AI governance, industrial cooperation and common standards. The closely connected scenes observed by a Global Times reporter at the 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance showcased how AI is moving rapidly from technological demonstrations into practical applications and global policy discussions. A senior UN official and a technology practitioner from Uzbekistan participating in the event told the Global Times that the conference, together with China's fast-growing ecosystem of open-source models and customizable public-service solutions, is providing developing countries with AI options that are more "accessible, affordable and applicable." AI applications move into real worldA series of new applications unveiled on the third day of the conference showed how AI is already being used in areas that directly affect public safety. At a Sunday forum, China Earthquake Administration released an earthquake-science AI agent, a large model for seismology, an intelligent earthquake-processing system and authoritative benchmark datasets, covering key fields including earthquake monitoring, forecasting, early warning and disaster prevention. By 2028, the plan aims to establish effective AI support for earthquake prevention and disaster-reduction operations and reinforce China's early advantages in the field, according to CCTV News. Another project that drew attention at the conference was MAZU, China's AI-powered meteorological early-warning solution. The name MAZU - Multi-hazard, Alert, Zero-gap and Universal - also evokes Mazu, a widely revered guardian of the