The 2026 China Internet Civilization Conference will be held from May 19 to 20 in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, to promote the building of a healthy and civilized cyberspace, officials said on Wednesday.

The event will be jointly hosted by four government bodies, including the Office of Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, China's top cyberspace regulator, and the Guangxi regional government.

The conference will last one and a half days, and preparations are largely complete, Niu Yibing, deputy head of the top regulator, said at a news conference held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing.

The event will feature an opening ceremony, a main forum and 14 sub-forums.

The main forum will invite representatives from mainstream media, online platforms, multi-channel network agencies, and representatives of livestreamers and internet users to share views and experiences, he said.

It will also release outstanding cases of national internet civilization development and launch a month-long campaign to improve public digital literacy and skills, according to the official.

The 14 sub-forums will focus on topics, including improving the online business environment, online rumor rebuttal, corporate social responsibility among internet companies, and the role of artificial intelligence in empowering internet civilization.

Yang Dong, secretary-general of the China Federation of Internet Societies, said the sub-forums will release more than 30 research achievements, including research reports and typical cases in internet civilization development.

Guests will include officials, scholars, heads of internet companies, online influencers, livestreamers and grassroots representatives, he said.

This year's conference will feature a dedicated sub-forum on AI-powered internet civilization development, focusing on AI's technological evolution, innovative development and safety governance, the senior official Niu said.

The forum will release the ethical and safety guidelines for AI applications (version 1.0), offering practical references on AI's possible impact on social relations, emotional dependence, public order and individual rights, he noted.

The sub-forum will invite leading figures in China's AI sector, including academicians and experts with deep research experience, representatives of leading AI companies and scholars in AI governance, to share their latest observations from the perspectives of technological frontiers, industrial practice and governance exploration, according to Niu.