AWE Asia 2026: Day 1 Recap
AWE Asia 2026 officially moved into its first full conference day in Singapore, building on the energy sparked the night before at the Opening Reception. After a night of reconnection and anticipation, Day 1 marked a clear shift into depth, direction, and real signals from across the XR and AI ecosystem.
Setting the Tone
As has become tradition, AWE Asia 2026 opened with the annual keynote from Ori Inbar, co-founder of AWE, setting the tone for the days ahead. With the room full, Ori framed the moment around a clear message:
There is no AI without XR.
As intelligence moves out of screens and into the physical world, spatial computing becomes the foundation that keeps AI grounded in human context. That idea set the baseline for everything that followed on Day 1.
Main Stage: Vision, Platforms, and Real-World Signals
The first keynote was delivered by Atley Loughridge, who shared how Snap’s AR stack is moving from prototype to production at global scale. Drawing on hands-on work on Spectacles, she highlighted how Lens Studio has evolved into an AI-native, developer-first platform supporting deployment across Snapchat, Camera Kit, Spectacles, and the web. As Spectacles approach a public launch, the keynote framed wearable AR as a practical computing layer taking shape today.
The conversation then widened with a keynote from Alvin W. Graylin, who shifted the focus from platforms to people. Exploring programmable reality and ambient intelligence, he examined how AI-driven XR increasingly shapes perception and decision-making, and urged builders to treat trust and human agency as core design priorities.
Main Stage discussions also moved quickly into applied territory. Jennifer Lin, Lester Sim, and Callie Cheong from AWS demonstrated how cloud-powered generative AI is being used to accelerate 3D content pipelines, turning text and images into production-ready assets through scalable, cloud-native workflows. Eng Tat Khoo from the National University of Singapore followed with applied research examples showing how immersive intelligence is already delivering measurable impact in healthcare and aviation training through close university–industry collaboration.
Then, we heard from 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.
From morning through the afternoon, the pace remained high as discussions unfolded across the venue.
Track Stages: Perspectives Across Creation, Learning, and Culture
Beyond the Main Stage, Track Stages throughout Day 1 offered focused perspectives on how immersive technologies are reshaping creation, learning, and engagement across different domains.
In the Gaming, Entertainment & Media track, Elisabetta Rotolo examined how the convergence of AI and XR is reshaping immersive storytelling, highlighting emerging narrative forms and creative workflows enabled by generative technologies.
On the Collaboration, Education & Training track, Sangitaa Singh and Suguna Sundaram shared classroom-based examples from Singapore, showing how AR and VR are being applied in K–12 education to support hands-on learning, inclusivity, and digital well-being.
Expo Floor and Playground: Experiencing XR in Action
When the expo floor opened late morning, conversations quickly moved into hands-on exploration. Across the hall, attendees gathered around live demos from companies including Snap, Mr. Art Digital Technology’s Sitwalk, and other XR teams showcasing wearable AR, enterprise XR management, spatial analytics, optics, and glasses-free 3D displays.
The AWE Playground remained active throughout the day, giving attendees the opportunity to experience immersive technologies firsthand, including VBoxing by Refract Technologies, while continuing conversations sparked on stage. A steady flow between sessions, demos, and informal meetups contributed to the overall energy on the show floor.
Up Next: What to Expect on Day 2
Day 2 will continue the momentum with a renewed focus on where XR and AI are headed next. The Main Stage will open with a keynote from Mark Billinghurst, exploring the emergence of empathic XR and how the convergence of AI and immersive technologies is shaping more human-centered experiences.
Across the program, conversations will deepen through a variety of track sessions, alongside the AWE Asia Startup Pitch, where six finalists will each deliver a seven-minute pitch to investors, media, and the broader community. The sessions will be open to all attendees on Track Stage 1.
The conference will conclude with the Auggie Awards Ceremony, recognizing standout work across the XR ecosystem.
For full session details and timings, check the agenda in the Whova app. And stay tuned for an exciting “Day 2”. See you tomorrow!
