Yin Qi delivers keynote at WAIC 2026 opening forum: When intelligent agents enter the physical world

Summary

Yin Qi, in his opening forum speech at WAIC 2026 titled 'Intelligent Agents Enter the Physical World', highlighted the transition of artificial intelligence from digital screens to the real world and the evolution of agents into productive units.

Why it matters

This speech signals a shift where AI moves beyond mere chat and language processing tasks to become autonomous units capable of long-duration operation, perception, decision-making, and task execution. Additionally, by defining new structures—Agency OS, the carrier (human-machine partnership), and the network (A2A network)—it lays the groundwork for a profound transformation in the technology ecosystem.

Highlights

• Agency OS determines how far agents can go by integrating model capabilities with data, tools, and devices.
• Human-machine partnership unifies devices such as computers, phones, cars, and robots as different 'bodies' of the same agent.
• The A2A network enables agents to collaborate and execute transactions independently, using their own identities, capabilities, and credits.

Critical take

While Yin Qi's vision is compelling, the lack of a concrete roadmap for managing responsibility and ethical frameworks for agents operating in the physical world could lead to significant uncertainties during implementation.