As AI continues to evolve from a buzzword into a cornerstone of global industry, staying ahead of the curve is more critical than ever. In 2026, we have seen a massive shift toward Agentic AI and Physical AI, moving the conversation from simple chat interfaces to autonomous systems that act and interact with the physical world.
While online courses and technical blogs are vital for building a foundation, AI conferences offer a unique environment to engage with industry pioneers, participate in hands-on workshops, and witness live demos of hardware that will define the next decade.
This article explores 15 of the best AI conferences you can attend in the USA during the remainder of 2026. We will look at their focus areas, locations, and why they might be the right fit for your career or business.
1. Radar: Hybrid Human-AI Teams
Date: April 1, 2026
Location: Online
Cost: Free of charge
Official Link: datacamp.com/radar
Radar returns with a timely focus on the “Human-Agent” workforce. As organizations move past initial AI adoption, this event explores the frameworks required for humans and AI agents to work as unified teams. It is an ideal, low-barrier entry point for professionals looking to understand how “digital coworkers” are being managed in leading tech firms.
2. NVIDIA GTC
Date: March 16–19, 2026
Location: San Jose, California
Cost: $2,172 (Virtual: Free)
Official Link: nvidia.com/gtc
Often called the “Woodstock of AI,” GTC remains the industry’s most influential event. In 2026, the spotlight is firmly on Physical AI, robotics, edge computing, and “AI Factories.” Jensen Huang’s keynote is a must-watch for anyone wanting to see the hardware roadmap that will power the next generation of LLMs.
3. HumanX
Date: April 6–9, 2026
Location: San Francisco, California
Cost: Starting at $2,650
Official Link: humanx.world
HumanX has established itself as the “Davos of AI.” It focuses less on the code and more on the macro-impact: policy, regulation, and C-suite strategy. If you are a business leader or founder navigating the ethical and legal complexities of AI implementation, this is the premier venue for high-level networking.
4. Google Cloud NEXT
Date: April 22–24, 202 go 6
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Cost: Starting at $999
Official Link: cloud.withgoogle.com/next
Google’s flagship cloud event is the go-to for developers integrated into the Google ecosystem. Expect deep dives into Vertex AI and Gemini, with a heavy focus on building “Agentic Workflows” that leverage Google’s massive data processing capabilities.
5. ODSC East 2026
Date: April 28–30, 2026
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Cost: Starting at $199
Official Link: odsc.com/boston
The Open Data Science Conference (ODSC) is a favorite for practitioners. It offers some of the best hands-on workshops in the industry, covering everything from open-source machine learning frameworks to the latest in RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architecture.
6. IBM Think 2026
Date: May 4–7, 2026
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Cost: $1,899
Official Link: ibm.com/events/think
IBM Think focuses on the “Pragmatic AI” side of things, how to scale Watsonx within highly regulated industries like banking and healthcare. It’s an essential stop for enterprise architects concerned with hybrid cloud deployments and sustainable AI practices.
7. AI & Big Data Expo North America
Date: May 18–19, 2026
Location: San Jose, California
Cost: Free (Paid passes from $599)
Official Link: ai-expo.net/northamerica
This expo is where AI meets the physical world. It brings together experts in IoT, Blockchain, and Big Data to show how AI is being used in industrial settings. It is a great event for those looking to see tangible hardware and enterprise automation in action.
8. Google I/O
Date: May 19–20, 2026
Location: Mountain View, California & Online
Cost: Free (Virtual)
Official Link: io.google
Google I/O remains the primary stage for consumer-facing AI. This is where we see how AI will change the way billions of people interact with Android, Search, and Workspace. It’s a vital event for mobile and web developers who want to build AI-native applications.
9. AI DevSummit
Date: May 27–28, 2026
Location: South San Francisco, California
Cost: Starting at $695
Official Link: aidevsummit.co
A developer-first conference that strips away the marketing hype to focus on engineering. Topics include LLMOps (Large Language Model Operations), neural network architecture, and the actual tools required to move an AI model from a notebook to production.
10. CVPR 2026
Date: June 3–7, 2026
Location: Denver, Colorado
Cost: Starting at $900
Official Link: cvpr.thecvf.com
The Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) is the most prestigious academic event in its field. For those working in autonomous vehicles, medical imaging, or facial recognition, this is where the most significant research papers of the year are debuted.
11. Databricks Data + AI Summit
Date: June 15–18, 2026
Location: San Francisco, California
Cost: $1,895 (Virtual: Free)
Official Link: databricks.com/dataaisummit
Databricks has turned this summit into a powerhouse for the data engineering community. The 2026 focus is the “Data Lakehouse” for AI, emphasizing how to govern and clean the massive amounts of data required to train specialized, private enterprise models.
12. AI Engineer World’s Fair
Date: June 30 – July 2, 2026
Location: San Francisco, California
Cost: Starting at $899
Official Link: ai.engineer/worldsfair
Specifically designed for the “AI Engineer” a role that sits between the researcher and the app developer. This event is a high-energy “fair” environment featuring hundreds of technical demos on autonomous agents and local LLM deployment.
13. Ai4 2026
Date: August 4–6, 2026
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Cost: Starting at $1,395
Official Link: ai4.io
Ai4 is perhaps the most diverse conference on this list. It organizes tracks by industry (Healthcare, Finance, Retail, etc.), making it easy for non-tech companies to find exactly how AI is transforming their specific sector.
14. Microsoft Ignite
Date: November 17–20, 2026
Location: San Francisco, California
Cost: Starting at $1,895
Official Link: ignite.microsoft.com
As the year winds down, Microsoft Ignite sets the stage for the following year’s enterprise software. Expect major updates on the Copilot ecosystem and how Azure’s AI infrastructure is evolving to support global-scale agentic systems.
15. AWS re:Invent
Date: November 30 – December 4, 2026
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Cost: $2,099 (Virtual: Free)
Official Link: reinvent.awsevents.com
The finale of the tech calendar. AWS re:Invent is a massive event that takes over the Las Vegas Strip. For AI pros, the focus is on Amazon Bedrock, custom AI chips (Trainium/Inferentia), and the latest in cloud-based foundational models.
Summary Table
| Event | Date | Location | Cost |
| Radar: AI Teams | Apr 1 | Online | Free |
| NVIDIA GTC | Mar 16-19 | San Jose, CA | From $2,172 |
| HumanX | Apr 6–9 | San Francisco, CA | From $2,650 |
| Google Cloud NEXT | Apr 22–24 | Las Vegas, NV | From $999 |
| ODSC East | Apr 28–30 | Boston, MA | From $199 |
| IBM Think | May 4–7 | Boston, MA | $1,899 |
| AI & Big Data Expo | May 18–19 | San Jose, CA | Free+ |
| Google I/O | May 19–20 | Mountain View, CA | Free (Online) |
| AI DevSummit | May 27–28 | S. San Francisco, CA | From $695 |
| CVPR | Jun 3–7 | Denver, CO | From $900 |
| Databricks Data+AI | Jun 15–18 | San Francisco, CA | $1,895 |
| AI Engineer Fair | Jun 30–Jul 2 | San Francisco, CA | From $899 |
| Ai4 2026 | Aug 4–6 | Las Vegas, NV | From $1,395 |
| Microsoft Ignite | Nov 17–20 | San Francisco, CA | From $1,895 |
| AWS re:Invent | Nov 30–Dec 4 | Las Vegas, NV | $2,099 |
