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.
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
CONCEPT
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.”
Toward an AI-Native Society:
Reimagining Institutions, Industry, and the Human Role
― 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
Generative AI Summit (GenAI/SUM) 2026
Transition to an AI-Native Society — How Will Institutions, Industries, and Human Roles Be Redesigned?
Symposiums, workshops, impact pitch session, lightning pitches, and the GenAI/SUM Executive Round (industry–government–academia roundtable on generative AI, GS-ER) [newly established, closed to the public]
Capacity: 30 participants /
First-come, first-served
Free of charge
(Certificate required
at reception)
Free of charge
Early Bird
8,000 yen
(until Sep. 30)
3,000 yen
(until Sep. 30)
None
None
None
Admission
Available
Available (1 day)
Available
Available
Unavailable
Live Streaming
Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Archive
Viewing
(from Oct. 16
afternoon)
Available
Available
Available
Available
Available
Please note that if the seats at the event hall are fully occupied,
you will be asked to watch the sessions at a satellite venue set up in the Kudan Kaikan Terrace.
Early Bird Admission Ticket
8,000 yen(Tax included)
Special early bird discount from a regular price of 20,000 yen. (Valid until Sep. 30)
You can participate in all public sessions at the venue.
All sessions in Hall A have simultaneous interpretation in Japanese and English.
During the event, there will be light snacks and drinks available at the venue.
After the event on October 7, you can participate in the after-party held at the event venue.
You can watch the archive of each session from the afternoon of Oct. 16 until Nov. 15.
Information required for viewing will be posted under “My Tickets” on the EventRegist website.
Early Bird Admission Ticket (1Day)
3,000 yen(Tax included)
Special early bird discount from a regular price of 7,000 yen. (Valid until Sep. 30)
Valid for one day during the event period, you can participate in all public sessions on that day at the venue.
All sessions in Hall A have simultaneous interpretation in Japanese and English.
Other details are the same as for the general admission ticket.
Admission Ticket (Startup)
4,000 yen(Tax included)
This is a discount ticket exclusively for startups established within the past 10 years.
Other details are the same as for the general admission ticket.
Admission Ticket
(Student / Academia / Public Affairs)
Free of charge
Capacity: 30 participants. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and will close once capacity is reached.
The following people are eligible. Proof of eligibility must be presented at reception.
－Students currently enrolled at educational institutions.
－Individuals currently affiliated with academic institutions.
－Current civil servants, politicians, and others currently holding public office.
Other details are the same as for the general admission ticket.
Archive Viewing Tickets
Free of charge
You can watch the archive of each session from the afternoon of Oct. 16 until Nov. 15.
This ticket does not include admission to the venue.
GenAI/SUM2026 is open to media coverage. Eligible journalists include editors, reporters, and photographers from newspapers, publishers, television, radio, corporate online news outlets, or information websites, as well as individuals contracted by the above media outlets.
Please note that coverage requires advance registration and approval from the organizers. If you wish to cover the event, please contact the secretariat through the inquiry form HERE. We will send you a media application form.
*Coverage is permitted only after submitting a coverage proposal and receiving approval from the organizers. Upon approval, we will send you detailed coverage guidelines and important notes. *Prior application is also required for online coverage via archived streaming.
Generative AI Summit 2026
Reimagining
Industry
The Human Role
