Elon Musk is set to give a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai on Thursday. Although the agenda for the event has been released, it does not specify whether Musk will appear in person or via video. A source familiar with the situation has indicated that Musk is not expected to be there in person. The WAIC organizers have yet to comment on Musk’s attendance or his keynote speech.
The same day as Musk’s speech, the EU is anticipated to impose preliminary tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports. Tesla, as the largest exporter of EVs from China to Europe, has requested a separate duty rate calculation from the Commission. Currently, Tesla faces a 21% additional tariff as part of the companies cooperating with the investigation. Reuters reached out to Tesla for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Other notable attendees scheduled for the opening ceremony include Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who is also expected to deliver a speech. Musk and Li met in Beijing in April during Musk’s visit to discuss the rollout of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software and data-transfer permissions. Musk has participated in WAIC in the past, providing video messages for the previous two editions of the conference. His last in-person appearance at the event was in 2019.