Global AI Show 2026 heads to Riyadh with AGI and decentralized AI on the agenda

Global AI Show 2026 is set to take place in Riyadh, and part of the program stands out for readers following AI alongside crypto and decentralized infrastructure.

Organized by VAP Group and powered by Times of AI, the event is framed as a cross-sector AI conference. At the same time, the agenda points to topics that reach beyond standard enterprise talking points and into questions around AGI, governance, and alternative AI architectures.

AGI appears in the program

One of the listed topics is real AGI implementation.

That is still unusual for conferences built around enterprise adoption. In many cases, AGI is mentioned only in passing or pushed into speculative panels. Here, it appears alongside business and operational themes, which suggests the organizers want the discussion to include both current deployment and longer-horizon technical development.

Decentralized AI has a place in the conversation

Janet Adams, COO and Board Director at SingularityNET and the ASI Alliance, has appeared in previous editions of the event. That matters for readers tracking decentralized AI infrastructure and open AI networks.

SingularityNET has long sat at the overlap between crypto and AI, with a focus on open and interoperable systems rather than closed provider-controlled stacks. Representation from that side of the market gives the event a wider frame than a typical conference centered only on corporate AI adoption.

Why Riyadh matters

Riyadh is becoming a more important venue for AI policy and infrastructure discussions. Saudi Arabia has committed significant state-backed capital to AI and has been building ties with technology partners across multiple regions.

That gives the setting a different weight from a standard industry event. The audience is more likely to include policymakers, institutional operators, and senior executives involved in large-scale deployment decisions, not only vendors and consultants.

Regulation, healthcare, and system design

The program also includes sessions on algorithmic fairness, data privacy, and responsible AI deployment.

Those topics matter well beyond compliance. For audiences skeptical of how much power has accumulated around centralized AI systems, they open a broader discussion about governance, accountability, and what kinds of technical models should shape the next phase of development.

Healthcare is another notable part of the agenda, with sessions covering AI in drug discovery and personalized medicine. For the Web3 and decentralized-tech crowd, that creates a natural point of overlap with debates around data ownership, access, and the risks of concentrating sensitive health data inside a small number of platforms.

Global AI Show 2026 will take place in Riyadh.

More information: globalaishow.com/riyadh