The 2026 World Young Scientist Summit (WYSS 2026) took place October 24–25 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. At the opening ceremony, the English-language science and technology journal AI Horizons (AIH) was officially launched, and a call for papers was announced.
The summit was co-hosted by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), the People's Government of Zhejiang Province, and the World Association of Young Scientists (WAYS), under the theme "Converging the World's Talents, Creating a Better Future". With the annual topic "Global Youth Action in the AI Era: Building a Sustainable Future", the event brought together nearly 800 scientists, educators, and entrepreneurs from more than 60 countries and regions, who gathered on the banks of the Ou River.
AI Horizons Launched: A First "Calling Card" for Young Scientists
AI Horizons is an international, interdisciplinary English-language science journal dedicated to publishing high-quality original research, review articles, and perspectives in the theories, methods, and applications of artificial intelligence. The journal focuses on harnessing AI to accelerate scientific discovery and engineering innovation, modeling complex spatiotemporal systems, and enabling intelligent systems to act in and interact with the physical world; it also publishes research at the intersection of AI and emerging quantum technologies.
AIH was co-founded by four partners: the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), the Zhejiang Association for Science and Technology, the World Association of Young Scientists (WAYS), and IOP Publishing (IOPP). An international editorial board composed of leading scientists from around the world oversees the journal, with the editorial office based at EIT. The Editor-in-Chief is Prof. Shiyi Chen, President of EIT and Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In his launch message, President Chen wrote: "To the next generation of scientists and engineers—the disciplinary boundaries you see do not really exist. True breakthroughs often occur at the intersections of different research fields. We founded AI Horizons precisely to lead this new era of convergence research."
AI Horizons Officially Launched
As a Diamond Open Access journal, AIH has all of its publication costs covered by its sponsoring institutions. Authors pay no article processing charge and may publish their work under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Young researchers are at the peak of their creative powers. They are a vital driving force behind AI and interdisciplinary research, and they represent the future of science and innovation. With its youth-friendly mission, AI Horizons is building a new platform for dialogue and intellectual exchange for this community, helping young scholars present the first "calling card" of their research careers and make their voices heard around the world.
EIT's Voice: From the Embodied Intelligence Forum to the Young Scholars Forum
Beyond the journal launch, EIT was deeply involved in several key summit activities. It was a co-organizer of the parallel forum "Embodied Intelligence Robotics and Applications" and the sub-forum "Young Scholars and Premier Journals: A Collaborative Growth."
Prof. Wenjun Zeng Delivers a Keynote Presentation
At the "Embodied Intelligence Robotics and Applications" forum, Prof. Wenjun Zeng, Vice President of EIT and International Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, delivered a keynote presentation titled World Models: A Foundation for Future Embodied Intelligence. He laid out a technical roadmap for world models as the foundation of embodied intelligence, focusing on how disentangled representations can build world models that are physically plausible, interpretable, controllable, and transferable, and on how generative simulation data can be used to train agents and improve robots' completion rates on complex tasks.
Prof. Wentao Zhu Delivers a Keynote Presentation
Prof. Wentao Zhu, Assistant Professor at EIT, spoke on "GPT-6 Astra: 3D, Embodied AI, and Beyond," showcasing the innovative energy of young scientists working across disciplines.
Prof. Yifan Zhao Joins a Roundtable Discussion
In the roundtable discussion, Prof. Yifan Zhao, Chair Professor at EIT and a Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellow, shared his views on the application challenges and commercialization pathways for embodied intelligence.
Prof. Chen Zhu Delivers a Keynote Presentation
At the "Young Scholars and Premier Journals: A Collaborative Growth" forum, Professor Chen Zhu, Associate Professor in EIT's College of Science, shared his experiences and insights on growing alongside academic journals. His research spans chemistry and artificial intelligence, offering a vivid example of AI for Science in practice.
Since its inception, EIT has placed AI at the core of its institutional strategy as a shared foundation for both academic planning and talent development. The university focuses on frontier interdisciplinary fields such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, intelligent manufacturing, new energy and new materials, and life and health. It has built a number of high-level research platforms and is developing the Zhejiang Provincial Interdisciplinary Center for Industrial Intelligence, advancing the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent.
The launch of AI Horizons is a key step in EIT's efforts to shape the academic discourse on AI-related interdisciplinary research and build a global exchange platform for young scholars. It will also lend stronger support to young researchers as they present the first "calling card" of their scientific careers. The university remains committed to nurturing top-tier innovative talent who can harness AI, think independently, and pursue original research; to providing an open, inclusive, and international academic platform for young scientists worldwide; and to building a future-oriented, globally influential AI academic community and a source of innovation.
