SeattleAIWeek AI Summit

​What do we build from here?

​The WITA #SeattleAIWeek Summit returns this October for a full day of honest conversations, bold ideas, and cross-sector collaboration around the future of artificial intelligence.

​New venue for 2026: Bell Harbor International Conference Center on the Seattle waterfront.

​As the flagship event of Seattle AI Week, the Summit brings together startup founders, engineers, researchers, investors, policymakers, creatives, enterprise leaders, and builders from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. This is where Seattle’s AI community does its hardest thinking together — not just about what AI can do, but about what we choose to build next.

​Featuring OpenAI's Vijaye Raji, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Read AI's David Shim, TikTok's Peter Kim, Microsoft's Jolenta Coleman-Bush, AI House's Yifan Zhang, and more. Full speaker lineup →

​This year’s theme, “What We Build From Here,” explores the opportunities, tradeoffs, and responsibilities shaping the next era of AI. From infrastructure and frontier research to creativity, policy, workforce transformation, security, and entrepreneurship, the Summit is designed to spark conversations that go beyond hype and into real-world impact.

​What to Expect

​Hear from leading voices across technology, startups, academia, government, media, and the creative industries as they tackle the biggest questions facing AI today.

• ​Keynotes, Panels, and Fireside Chats including topics like:
  • ​Opening Keynote — Fireside with OpenAI & GeekWire
  • ​Keeping It Real: Creativity, Music, and the Human Experience
  • ​AI at Work: Hype vs Production
  • ​The Startup Playbook: Building an AI Company in 2026
  • ​The Workforce Question: An Honest Look at What AI Creates and Replaces
  • ​AI & Life Sciences: From Code to Cures
  • ​Quantum + AI: The Convergence Begins
  • ​Closer or Further Apart: AI and the Human Connection
  • ​Two Assignments: Teaching With AI vs. Teaching About AI
  • ​Compounding Advantage: How Washington's Industries Set Up the AI Era
• ​Experience Hall with Startup Alley, Creative Corner, and Upskill Pavilion
• ​Interactive Experiences
• ​Networking Happy Hour

​Why This Summit Matters

​Seattle has always been a city that builds the future.

​The AI Summit exists to create the space where those building that future can come together openly — to challenge assumptions, exchange ideas, and wrestle with the questions that matter most.

​What makes this gathering different is the diversity of perspectives in the room. Engineers and researchers share the stage with artists, operators, educators, policymakers, founders, and community leaders. Debate is welcome. Curiosity is encouraged. The goal isn’t consensus — it’s progress.

‍