At the opening of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC 2026), the Chairman of StepFun and Qianli Technology, Yin Qi, stated that AI entrepreneurship has evolved from a niche pursuit into a significant global consensus. Today's AI researchers and entrepreneurs stand on the shoulders of generations of scientific exploration and benefit from accumulated advancements in information technology, mobile internet, cloud computing, semiconductors, and new energy, making participation in this era of transformation exceptionally fortunate.

Yin Qi assessed that in 2026, model capabilities are crossing a critical threshold. AI has progressed from handling tasks for mere seconds to operating independently for dozens of hours, positioning the industry at the foothills of the AGI summit. Following natural language, programming is becoming a key benchmark for measuring AI's leap in capability. As agent models accelerate their integration with next-generation terminal products, intelligence is moving from digital screens into the real physical world. AI agents are evolving from chat tools into the minimal productivity units capable of perception, decision-making, and task execution. In the future, professionals like engineers, designers, and researchers could each have their own dedicated agent, enabling an individual to possess the capabilities of an entire team.

Yin Qi highlighted that the wave of AI agents will drive three major structural shifts: new systems, new carriers, and new networks. At the system level, an agent's capability is determined by both its model and its operating system. An Agentic OS, by connecting models with data, tools, interfaces, and devices, dictates how "far" an agent can go. Regarding new carriers, terminal design philosophy will shift further from "human-centric" to "human-machine symbiosis." Devices like computers, phones, cars, and robots will become different "bodies" for the same intelligent agent across various scenarios, supporting the continuous existence, free migration, and collaborative task execution of intelligence across terminals. On the network front, A2A (Agent-to-Agent) networks will connect humans and agents. Agents will possess their own identities, capabilities, and credibility, autonomously seeking partners, organizing collaboration, and completing transactions, forming a crucial infrastructure for an agent-based economy.

Yin Qi also emphasized that the entry of agents into the real world brings not just a leap in capability but a restructuring of order. The industry must collectively address questions such as whom an agent represents in its actions, who bears responsibility for the consequences, and how to ensure identity trustworthiness, controllable permissions, and traceable behavior. This necessitates exploring new technical architectures, governance mechanisms, and social compacts. He expressed that the future is not a world where machines replace humans, but one of co-evolution between humans and intelligence. When intelligent agents enter the physical world, the potential of every individual could be amplified tenfold.