The 2025 Web Summit opened Monday in Lisbon, Portugal, with artificial intelligence (AI) taking center stage and drawing a record crowd of innovators and investors to explore the future of technology. The Web Summit, running until Thursday, is expected to welcome more than 71,000 attendees from 157 countries, over 2,500 startups showcasing products and services, and more than 1,800 investors, an increase of 74 percent from last year and the largest number ever to attend the event. Key topics at this year's event include "vibe coding," a form of programming that uses AI to generate code, with discussions focusing on whether it marks the next major leap or the end of programming, and on who controls AI and who benefits from it. According to the Web Summit, as AI models are trained on online content, the competition for access and profit is becoming increasingly fierce. This year's event also includes the China Summit, which features its own stage, dedicated day, and speakers from the media, industry, and academia. The summit's organizers said the objective is to showcase and discuss China's innovations and how the country's economy is racing ahead in areas such as AI, deep-tech scientific research, and industrial transformation. During the China Summit, panelists discussed how homegrown Chinese tech is dominating so many areas today. One panelist described how China has gone from what they called a "fast follower" on AI innovation to a "first in class innovator." Joleen Liang, co-founder of Squirrel AI, spoke about how talent is the most precious assets for AI companies, and how that talent is now being rapidly nurtured in China compared to 10 years ago. Towards the end of the summit, they discussed China's 15th Five-Year Plan and the role that the state is playing in guiding capital investment, creating an environment which enables and promotes innovation. The Chinese delegation has brought four exhibiting companies to the Web Summit. One of the most popular booths drawing a big crowd belongs to Unitree Robotics, which is demonstrating their humanoid robot that can replicate human motion including dancing. The Web Summit, a global conference launched in Dublin in 2009 and moved to Lisbon in 2016, brings together a global community of founders, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to connect and exchange ideas about the technology and trends shaping the world. Shotlist: Lisbon, Portugal - Nov 11, 2025: 1. Various of visitors at Web Summit; 2. Various of visitors walking to exhibition area; 3. Various of New Media Summit in progress; 4. Chinese participants at Web Summit; 5. Various of panel discussion in progress during China Summit; 6. Various of humanoid robot on display, dancing. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]