--- eventsindex_id: EI-06790 slug: world-ai-cannes-festival-2027 title: "World AI Cannes Festival 2027" title_alt: [] canonical_url: https://eventsindex.org/events/world-ai-cannes-festival-2027.html next_edition_dates: "None to None" next_edition_year: 2026 date_start: null date_end: null venue: "Palais des Festivals et des Congrès" city: "Cannes" country: "France" organiser: "Informa AI Summit Series" organiser_url: "https://london.theaisummit.com/world-ai-cannes-festival/" b2b: true vector: sector: [ia-data] audience: [international-businesses, policymakers-and-leading-voices-in-ai] format: [in-person] purpose: [networking] geography_scope: [european] season: spring meta_description: "" editorial_take: "" generated_by: "enrich/generators/fiche_md.py" last_verified: "2026-05-11" schema_version: "v6.0" language: en --- # World AI Cannes Festival > *An annual international AI conference at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes bringing together enterprise AI executives, policymakers, AI researchers, and innovators across four tracks: AI for Business, AI Governance, the Next AI Tech, and Health AI, alongside an awards programme and innovation showcases.* --- ## Quick Facts | DATES | VENUE | ORGANISER | ATTENDANCE | |---|---|---|---| | 10–11 February 2027 | Palais des Festivals, Cannes | Informa / The AI Summit Series | 12,000 (prior edition) | ## Definition World AI Cannes Festival (WAICF) is an annual international AI event held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France, operated by Informa through The AI Summit Series. Running since 2022, it has grown to one of Europe's largest AI events by attendance, drawing enterprise executives, policymakers, AI researchers, startups, and media from across the world. The February timing connects it to the broader EMEA conference calendar at the start of the year. ## What draws AI leaders to Cannes in February Cannes in February is between the winter film market (MIPTV is in April) and the summer season, giving the festival a clear calendar window with no major conflicts. The Palais des Festivals is one of Europe's most iconic event venues, lending the summit a prestige context. The multi-track format allows simultaneous sessions for executive, technical, governance, and health audiences without dispersal across multiple sites. ## Who attends World AI Cannes Festival - C-suite executives and chief AI officers leading enterprise AI transformation programmes - Government ministers and digital policy officials from European nations - AI researchers from leading labs and universities - Investors and venture capitalists active in the AI sector - Startup founders and scaleups seeking international enterprise AI exposure - Healthcare AI specialists (Health AI Summit track) - Technology vendors and platform providers seeking enterprise customers ## What World AI Cannes Festival covers programmatically Four dedicated tracks run across the two days: - **AI for Business**: enterprise AI adoption, ROI measurement, operational transformation - **AI Governance**: regulatory frameworks, responsible AI, international AI policy - **The Next AI Tech**: frontier research, emerging AI capabilities, model development - **Health AI Summit**: clinical AI, medical diagnostics, health system transformation Innovation demos, startup pitches, and an awards programme complement the main conference tracks. ## Programme tracks and special formats The main conference tracks run in parallel across the Palais des Festivals halls. Additional formats include: startup pitch zones, demo showcases with live AI demonstrations, immersive workshops, and an AI awards ceremony. An exhibition floor runs alongside the conference. ## Notable speakers The 2026 edition featured: - **Yann LeCun**, Chief AI Scientist, AMI Labs (Meta) - **Francesca Rossi**, AI Ethics Global Lead, IBM - **Kristina Kallas**, Minister of Education, Estonia - **Bijit Ghosh**, AI Leader, Wells Fargo - **Dawn Baker**, AI Leader, Back Market - **Pascale Fung**, Professor, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The 2027 speaker lineup is forthcoming. The event targets "100 most inspiring industry-defining leaders and tech innovators." ## Edition history The festival launched in 2022 and has expanded rapidly: | Edition | Year | Exhibitors | Speakers | |---|---|---|---| | 4th WAICF | 2026 | 220 | 320 | | 5th WAICF | 2027 | TBC | TBC | ## FAQ · Identity and audience ### Is World AI Cannes Festival focused on enterprise AI or broader AI topics? Enterprise AI is the primary lens, but the governance and tech tracks include policy and research content. The Health AI Summit track makes it relevant for healthcare professionals. The Cannes location and festival branding give it a broader cultural and creative dimension compared to pure enterprise tech events. ### Who operates the World AI Cannes Festival? Informa PLC operates the event through The AI Summit Series, a global portfolio of enterprise AI conferences running in London, New York, San Francisco, and Cannes. Informa acquired and rebranded the original WAICF concept to integrate it into its global AI event series. ### Who is World AI Cannes Festival NOT designed for? - Deep technical practitioners seeking research paper presentations or academic proceedings - Attendees on a tight budget (commercial conference pricing at enterprise rates) - Those seeking a boutique, curated small-group format (12,000 attendees is large-scale) - Teams focused exclusively on a single AI vertical with no interest in cross-sector content - Professionals looking for a hackathon or developer-focused engineering event ### Is there an accompanying trade exhibition? Yes. An exhibition floor with 220+ exhibitors (2026 figure) runs alongside the conference, featuring AI platform vendors, cloud providers, and specialist technology companies. ## The venue: Palais des Festivals et des Congrès The Palais des Festivals et des Congrès sits on the Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes. The venue is best known as the home of the Cannes Film Festival and hosts the major MIPIM, MIPCOM, and Lions festivals throughout the year. Its multiple halls, exhibition floors, and auditoriums accommodate large parallel-track conferences. Cannes is served by Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (30 minutes), with direct flights from major European hubs. ## The organiser: Informa / The AI Summit Series Informa PLC is one of the world's largest business intelligence and events companies. Its AI Summit Series is a global portfolio of enterprise AI conferences that serves the same professional audience across different geographic markets: London (the flagship), New York, San Francisco, and Cannes. The series shares a speaker network, content methodology, and enterprise sponsor community across editions. --- ## Editorial take *World AI Cannes Festival is the EMEA AI calendar's opening marquee event for enterprise teams, combining a prestigious venue, large-scale attendance, and a multi-track programme that makes February Cannes a relevant early-year destination for AI executives who cannot wait for the autumn circuit.* ## How to register and what it costs Register interest at reg.theaisummit.com/register-your-interest-waicf. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; enterprise conference pricing is typical of The AI Summit Series. Contact Informa for delegate fee information and group packages. ## Networking and engagement B2B networking is central to the format. The scale of the event (12,000 attendees in 2026) and the expo floor create an extensive business development context. The awards ceremony provides an additional networking event within the festival. ## Awards programme The AI Awards recognise organisations and individuals making significant advances in enterprise AI adoption and governance. Award categories cover responsible AI deployment, innovation, and AI for social impact. ## FAQ · Access and practicalities ### How do I get to Cannes for the festival? Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) is the main international gateway, 30-40 minutes from Cannes by train or taxi. Direct flights operate from London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and other European hubs. Cannes is on the French Riviera rail line (TGV connections via Marseille). ### Will there be virtual attendance options in 2027? No virtual attendance options have been confirmed for 2027. The event is positioned as an in-person networking event. ### When will the 2027 speaker lineup and programme be announced? Programme announcements typically begin 6-8 months before the event. Monitor theaisummit.com and @theaisummitseries on social media. ## Resources | Resource | URL | |---|---| | Official website | https://london.theaisummit.com/world-ai-cannes-festival/ | | Register interest | https://reg.theaisummit.com/register-your-interest-waicf | | Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/theaisummitseries/ | --- **Last verified:** 2026-05-11 **Next review:** 2026-06-10 **Notes:** Attendance figure (12,000) and speaker count (320) from prior 2026 edition. 2027 dates per official website: Feb 10-11. Ticket pricing not publicly disclosed. **Variables:** 30/58 **Concept definition:** not applicable