The 2026 World Public Science Literacy Promotion Conference opens in Beijing

The 2026 World Conference on Public Scientific Literacy opened in Beijing on September 20, and the World Organization for Public Scientific Literacy also made its official debut at the conference. The organization was registered and established in Beijing this June, initiated with support from the China Association for Science and Technology, and currently has 32 founding member institutions from 21 countries. This year's conference, themed "Scientific Literacy for an Intelligent Society: Opportunities, Challenges and Transformation," attracted representatives from 32 countries. Participants exchanged views on the meaning of public scientific literacy in the context of an intelligent society, pathways for cultivating it, and international cooperation. The conference's keynote report session focused on engineering literacy, artificial intelligence governance, and the important role of scientific literacy in building an equitable future. In the highlevel dialogue that followed, Chinese and foreign experts said that as artificial intelligence reshapes society, the public needs stronger scientific knowledge, technological awareness, critical thinking, and ethical judgment, and that related education and cultivation also require the joint participation of education, research, enterprises, the media, and international organizations.