To further promote academic exchange, technological innovation, talent development, and the commercialization of research outcomes in the field of autonomous unmanned systems, and to strengthen collaboration among universities, research institutes, and industry enterprises, the 3rd CAAI Conference on Autonomous Unmanned Systems-hosted by the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) and organized by Central South University and the CAAI Technical Committee on Autonomous Unmanned Systems-will be held in Changsha, Hunan, from October 23 to 25, 2026.

With the rapid development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, large language models, embodied intelligence, swarm intelligence, multi-agent collaboration, autonomous decision-making, and the low-altitude economy, autonomous unmanned systems are emerging as a key force driving a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation. Currently, autonomous unmanned systems are widely used in key fields such as smart manufacturing, low-altitude flight, smart transportation, smart mining, energy and power, emergency rescue, marine development, and national defense and security. They are accelerating their evolution from single-unit autonomy to swarm coordination, from perceptual intelligence to cognitive decision-making, and from pre-programmed execution to autonomous learning and continuous evolution. In recent years, breakthroughs in next-generation AI technologies-such as large language models, AI agents, world models, multimodal perception, reinforcement learning, digital twins, and human-machine collaboration-have further enhanced the environmental perception, task comprehension, autonomous planning, intelligent decision-making, and collaborative control capabilities of unmanned systems, driving the formation of an integrated autonomous intelligent system encompassing "perception-cognition-decision-making-execution." Autonomous unmanned systems have become a major frontier at the intersection of multiple disciplines, including artificial intelligence, robotics, control science, aerospace, and intelligent equipment. They also serve as a vital pillar for developing new-quality productive forces and advancing the intelligent upgrading of high-end equipment.

This conference will focus on cutting-edge theories, core technologies, typical applications, and the development of an industrial ecosystem for autonomous unmanned systems. It will bring together renowned experts and scholars from China and abroad, young scientists and engineers, and leading companies in the industry for in-depth exchanges. The event aims to create a high-level professional conference that integrates academic discussions, research showcase, industrial collaboration, and talent exchange, thereby pooling wisdom and mobilizing resources to advance technological innovation and high-quality industrial development in China's autonomous unmanned systems sector.

Click here for more details.