Lisbon Web Summit 2026 puts Chinese humanoid robots on stage as official speakers
Web Summit's tenth edition in Lisbon lets humanoid robots speak on stage for the first time, backed by the largest Chinese delegation the event has hosted.
The tenth Web Summit opened in Lisbon on 9 November 2026 and runs until Thursday. For the first time, humanoid robots are official speakers. They come from China, which is also sending its biggest delegation to the conference so far, including representatives of its Ministry of Commerce and the Cyberspace Administration.
Besides giving talks, the machines will run live demonstrations at brand stands in the Feira Internacional de Lisboa and the MEO Arena. One of them, built by Galbot, moves on wheels, has two arms and is described as able to work real shifts in shops, pharmacies and factories. Organisers expect close to 70,000 visitors, 900 speakers and more than 2,000 startups. Around 300 Brazilian startups attend, and Portugal sends 78 companies.
The report, from Euronews, does not say how the robots will be controlled on stage or how much of their speech is scripted.
Why it matters
The focus is shifting from software that writes text and images to physical AI, meaning machines that deal with people directly. Watch how the Galbot demonstrations hold up in front of crowds. Also watch for the host city decision: Web Summit's chief executive, Paddy Cosgrave, plans to name the future venue at the 2027 edition, as the current 110 million euro Lisbon deal ends in 2028.
