Toward an AI-Native Society:
Reimagining Institutions, Industry,
and the Human Role
2026.10.5-7 Kudanshita, Tokyo
What's new
2026.06.18
GenAI/SUM2026 official site opens! Impact Pitch applications are now open.
2026.04.24
Ahead of the main event, we will hold the invitation-only roundtable discussion, "GenAI/SUM Executive Round." For details of the previous event, please visit the 2025 event website.
IMPACT PITCH
Wanted!
Startups aiming to use generative AI
to solve social problems.
Generative AI can solve such social problems and make such things possible. GenAI/SUM is looking for startups that have unique perspectives and awareness of problems of their own, not those of large companies. Participating start-ups are publicly solicited to apply on this website, and after a judging panel and popularity vote, final pitches will be made by the finalists at the event venue. Pitches will be made with an eye to solving global social problems and expanding into the global market.
Total Prize Money
The top prize, the Nikkei Prize, is 1 million yen. There are also "corporate awards" by the sponsoring companies.
Application benefits
The names of those who passed the first screening will be published in the Nikkei newspaper.
Paid admission tickets for GenAI/SUM2026 will also be provided to those who passed the first screening .
Companies selected in the final screening will be able to participate in the final pitch at the venue within the event.
Those who are not selected as finalists may be given the opportunity to make a short presentation within the event.
All pitches and presentations will be interpreted simultaneously in English and Japanese, which will greatly promote the event to Japanese investors, so English-speaking participants are greatly welcome.
The final pitch presentations and their results will be published in Japanese in The Nikkei and Nikkei BizGate.
Terms and Condition of Application
Applicants must have AI as their business area.※
Applicants must be less than 10 years from the establishment of the company.
Applicants must not be subsidiaries of large companies.
Applicants must have raised no more than $10 million in total funding, including debt financing.
Representative of applicants can pitch at the event venue on October 7, 2026.
Transportation and accommodation expenses for participating in the pitch at the event will be borne by participants.
※ Specific business domains envisioned include finance; manufacturing and design; education and research; healthcare and drug discovery; transportation and logistics; operational efficiency; legal and intellectual property; consulting; creative fields (such as images, music, and games); media and advertising; security; and generative AI technologies (including LLMs, machine learning, software, and misinformation detection).
Applications deadline
17:00 JST August 21, 2026
How to apply
Please register from the "Entry" button below and fill in the necessary items,
Inquiry
Inquiries on Impact Pitch
GenAI/SUM Secretariat info@xsum.jp
Generative AI is no longer a niche advanced technology; it is becoming a foundational condition for society as a whole. Going beyond the scope of operational efficiency and information retrieval, it has begun to deeply permeate a wide range of fields—including corporate management, education, government, research, and healthcare—embedding itself into human judgment and intellectual activity itself.
The year 2026 marks a turning point—from a society that “uses AI” to one that reorganizes its institutions and industries on the premise of AI’s existence. In the corporate world, organizational design based on AI agents is emerging; in education, the ability to formulate questions is becoming critical; and in government, the implementation of AI in public services is a growing challenge. What roles will be required of humans? How should responsibility and creativity be defined?
AI-Native Society
Reimagining
Institutions
Industry
The Human Role
At GenAI/SUM 2026, we will engage in a multifaceted discussion on how Japan’s institutions, industries, and the roles of individuals should be redesigned, while keeping in clear view the reality of an “AI-native society.”
Transition to an AI-Native Society:
How Should Institutions, Industries, and Human Roles Be Redesigned?
― This is the core concept of the Generative AI Summit (GenAI/SUM) 2026.
PURPOSE
This event is a conference themed around AI (artificial intelligence), organized by Nikkei Inc. since 2024. It aims to overcome various challenges associated with the use of AI, and to foster discussion—among developers and users alike, including on regulations and rules—on what should be done to enhance the competitiveness of Japanese industry and build a better society, while also creating opportunities for new business, including startups.
Amid challenges such as the decline in the domestic workforce, the conference seeks to advance digital transformation (DX) and promote the creation of new businesses across industries.
AI Agents
Multimodal AI
Foundational Models
Inference Models
Autonomous AI
AI Chips
Data Infrastructure
Quantum Technology × AI
AGI (Artificial General Intelligence)
AI Governance
Sovereign AI
Digital Sovereignty
AI Safety
AI and Content Copyright
AX (AI Transformation)
Physical AI
AI Robotics
AI-Native Management
Vertical AI (Industry-Specific AI)
AI x Industrial Competitiveness
AI x Labor
CONTENTS
GenAI/SUM 2025
SYMPOSIUM
Symposium offers various sessions by experts, leading-edge business leaders, startup founders and policy makers/administrators, providing positive solutions to various challenges being tackled with Generative AI.
GenAI/SUM 2025
WORKSHOP
Workshop will delve further into issues and solutions put forward in symposiums and seek to open the way for more pragmatic business opportunities in such formats as small seminars, workshops, panel discussions, etc.
GenAI/SUM 2025
IMPACT PITCH
GenAI/SUM serves as a pathway to success for startups that utilize their Generative AI services and products to address social issues and provide solutions. Participating startups will be publicly solicited, and finalists will make a pitch on October 7 (scheduled).
GenAI/SUM 2025
NETWORKING
Visitors can not only attend the sessions, but also interact with other delegates in a number of networking spaces set up in the venue. Snacks and beverages will be provided and participants will enjoy real networking across organizations and countries. An after party will be held on the last day of the event, which is open to all visitors.
GenAI/SUM 2025
EXHIBITION BOOTH
The latest and upcoming products and services that utilize AI will be exhibited at the venue and explained to visitors face-to-face.
OUTLINE
Title
GenAI Summit (GenAI/SUM) 2026
Transition to an AI-Native Society — How Will Institutions, Industries, and Human Roles Be Redesigned?
Symposiums, workshops, impact pitch session, roundtables, and the GenAI/SUM Executive Round (industry–government–academia roundtable on generative AI, GS-ER) [newly established, closed to the public]
Generative AI Summit 2026
Reimagining
Industry
The Human Role
