AWE Asia 2026 Concludes in Singapore, Marking a More Grounded Phase for XR and AI

Singapore — AWE Asia 2026 has concluded at Singapore Expo, bringing together the global XR and AI community for three days of discussion, demonstrations, and applied insights. Across keynotes, developer sessions, track discussions, and live demos, the conference reflected a growing alignment around a central industry view: as artificial intelligence moves beyond screens and into real-world environments, extended reality is emerging as essential infrastructure.

The conference opened with a remark from AWE co-founder Ori Inbar, who framed the moment with a clear message echoed throughout the program: there is no AI without XR. As AI systems increasingly need to understand space, context, and human behavior, spatial computing and immersive interaction are becoming foundational to AI’s next phase of deployment.

Keynotes Point to Practical, Human-Centered Futures

On the Main Stage, speakers explored how this shift is already taking shape.

Atley Loughridge, Design Engineer at Snap Inc., shared how Snap’s AR stack is moving from experimentation to production at global scale. Drawing on hands-on development across Lens Studio and Spectacles, she outlined how spatial experiences are now being built and deployed across mobile, web, and wearable platforms using AI-native, developer-first tools. The keynote positioned wearable AR not as a future concept, but as a practical computing layer entering everyday use.

That platform-focused perspective was complemented by Alvin W. Graylin, who examined programmable reality and ambient intelligence through a human-centered lens. His remarks emphasized trust, agency, and responsibility as AI-driven XR systems increasingly shape perception, decision-making, and behavior.

Looking ahead, Mark Billinghurst introduced the concept of Empathic XR, describing a shift from explicit interaction toward immersive systems capable of sensing intent, emotion, and context. Enabled by physiological sensing and AI, Empathic XR points to more adaptive and responsive experiences across healthcare, training, and daily life.

Beyond the Keynotes: Platforms, Builders, and Applied Use Cases

AWE Asia 2026 featured a wide range of sessions that grounded the conference themes in concrete tools, workflows, and real-world deployments across industries.

A developer panel moderated by Steven Xu, Developer Relations Manager at Snap Inc., brought together teams building spatial experiences with Lens Studio across Snapchat, web platforms, AR Mirrors, and Spectacles. The discussion centered on production-ready tooling, cross-platform distribution, and the practical steps required to scale spatial computing beyond prototypes.

Across other sessions, speakers shared applied perspectives spanning cloud-powered generative 3D pipelines, enterprise XR deployment, immersive intelligence in healthcare and aviation training, contextual AI in industrial workflows, and new approaches to immersive storytelling and education.

Other highlights included:

• Matt Sanders from Meta’s Wearables Accessibility and Impact team, exploring “Wearable AI for Everyone” and how AI glasses are helping people to live more independently and connect more authentically with the world and each other.
• Beng Hui Ong, APAC Senior Solutions Architect at Agora, explored the intersection of physical AI in toys and companion devices, offering a deep-dive case study of how spatial technologies and AI can come together to help people.
• Dr. James Ong broadened this discussion of AI for humanity. Dr. Ong, Founder and Managing Director of the Artificial Intelligence International Institute, framed AI as a shared global responsibility. Advocating AI for Humanity as a proposed United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, he underscored the need for governance and collective action to keep AI aligned with long-term human well-being.

Taken together, these sessions reflected an ecosystem increasingly focused on integration, usability, and measurable outcomes.

Expo Floor Translate Vision into Experience

The expo floor and AWE Playground extended the conference dialogue through hands-on engagement. Attendees explored live demonstrations covering wearable AR, spatial analytics, enterprise XR infrastructure, optics, and glasses-free 3D displays, reinforcing the industry’s shift from concept validation toward real-world readiness.

As a Platinum Sponsor, Snap featured prominently with live demonstrations of Spectacles, its transparent AR glasses designed for hands-free, look-up interaction. The demos offered attendees a tangible view of Snap’s vision for computing beyond screens, closely aligned with the platform and developer discussions on stage.

Emerging Builders and Industry Recognition

Applied innovation was further highlighted through the debut of the AWE Asia Startup Pitch, where emerging companies presented concise, problem-driven approaches to XR across enterprise platforms, healthcare navigation, smart glasses, and immersive retail.

The conference concluded with the Auggie Awards Ceremony, recognizing standout contributions across the XR ecosystem:

• Startup to Watch: Braillic
• Best in Show Experience: Refract
• Best in Show: Snap

Looking Ahead

AWE Asia 2026 highlighted an industry moving from possibility to practice. As XR and AI continue to converge, the emphasis is increasingly on real-world use, human-centered design, and responsible scale.

AWE Asia extends its sincere thanks to its sponsors Snap, Meta, ArborXR, Raypai Photonic Crystal, and Agora, as well as to all speakers, partners, exhibitors, and attendees who contributed to this year’s program.

The conversation continues as the community looks toward the next chapter.