What it is
The Apply AI Summit is a one-day European Commission conference on getting AI used in European industry and public services. The 2026 edition takes place on 17 November at The EGG in Brussels and online. It marks one year since the Commission adopted the Apply AI Strategy and closes the first European AI Innovation Month, a series of online and in-person events. Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, is the special host. The Commission expects 900 participants on site.
How the programme works
The draft agenda runs from registration at 8:30 to a reception ending at 19:30. After an opening panel, the day splits into four rounds of parallel sessions. They cover sectors, such as energy, healthcare, agrifood, mobility, manufacturing and defence, and cross-cutting topics such as the AI Act and innovation, AI safety, AI and the workforce, and frontier AI. Around midday Virkkunen gives a keynote and presents the first Apply AI Startup Award, chosen from ten finalists. An exhibition runs through the breaks. Alongside the venue, a virtual platform streams some sessions and hosts online discussions.
Why it matters for cities
The strategy behind the summit is aimed squarely at public bodies as well as companies. It covers ten industrial sectors plus the public sector, encourages an “AI first” approach to decisions and, for the public sector in particular, a “buy European” approach with a focus on open-source AI. The morning round includes a session on AI in public administration, which is the most direct entry point for city staff. The governance side is the Apply AI Alliance, a forum the Commission set up on 8 October 2025 for providers, industry, academia and the public sector to feed into AI policy.
Who goes and how to take part
The Commission names industry representatives, policymakers and start-ups as the core audience. In-person registration has closed. Online registration is still possible, but because of demand the Commission puts these registrations on a waiting list subject to confirmation. Sessions are in English.
Going, or following from home
Only some on-site sessions will be streamed, and the Commission has not said which. If you work on AI in a city administration, register for the online platform now and watch for the public administration session. For the UN’s wider annual meeting on AI, see the AI for Good Global Summit.