A Friday to Update Work, a Saturday to Update Yourself: WAIJ to Host Experiential AI Conference 'WOMAN AI UPDATE 2026' in Shibuya on September 11-12
Women AI Initiative Japan (WAIJ) will host its flagship event, 'WOMAN AI UPDATE 2026 (WAU2026)', over two days on September 11 and 12, 2026, at Shibuya Stream Hall and surrounding venues. Designed as an experiential conference intersecting AI and women's empowerment from both 'work' and 'life' perspectives, DAY 1 focuses on updating businesses, while DAY 2 focuses on updating individuals and their daily lives.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 21, 2026 at 00:06
- 🔍 Collected: May 20, 2026 at 16:02
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 21, 2026 at 00:59 (8h 56m after Collected)
Women AI Initiative Japan (Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Chisato Kunimoto; hereafter WAIJ) will hold its largest flagship event since its founding, 'WOMAN AI UPDATE 2026' (abbreviation: WAU2026), over two days on Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Shibuya Stream Hall (main venue) and surrounding venues.
Structured in two parts—'DAY 1: UPDATE for Business' to update corporations, and 'DAY 2: UPDATE for Life' to update oneself and daily living—it is launched as a conference where participants don't just watch, but touch, try, and take away experiences from both 'work' and 'life' angles.
▼ Pre-registration Form: https://4136ol.share-na2.hsforms.com/2NL2hyzycSkiMtP4EJev03Q
■ How many people truly believe 'AI will change my life'?
The utilization of AI in Japan has largely been discussed in corporate terms such as 'operational efficiency' and 'productivity improvement'. On the other hand, what we hear on social media and in everyday conversation are words of anxiety and detachment: 'AI might take my job' or 'It seems too difficult for me'.
But what really moves people's lives is the accumulation of much smaller changes.
A female farmer changing her harvest decisions with AI. A nail artist becoming able to verbalize a client's ideal using AI. A mother raising children starting a side business with AI. Everyone, at first, thought 'It's impossible for me'.
That small first step updates oneself and changes the shape of one's life.
Women who use AI are the coolest.
We start creating that landscape from Shibuya.
WAU2026 will be the starting point of a movement that visualizes and shares the real differences (Before/After)—the moments when people who thought 'AI is too early/irrelevant for me' change—and updates societal norms.
■ Therefore, it cannot be a place where you just 'listen and leave'
Until now, spaces discussing 'women's empowerment' and spaces discussing 'AI' have existed separately. The language of management and the language of daily life have also been spoken separately. Therefore, the realities on the ground have not reached corporate decision-makers, and management discussions have seemed distant to everyday consumers.
WAU2026 intersects four contexts in one place: women's social advancement, AI, management/work, and daily life. For this reason, we designed it not as a conference where you 'listen and leave', but as an experiential conference composed of four elements: see, listen, touch, and connect.
Speakers and participants interact in the same space, touch the AI discussed in sessions right then and there, and management witnesses how consumers use it. Encounters that transcend contexts will change tomorrow's choices.
■ Event Overview
- Event Name: WOMAN AI UPDATE 2026 (Abbreviation: WAU2026)
- Dates: Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12, 2026
- Venue: Shibuya Stream Hall (Main Venue) + Surrounding Venues
- Organizer: WOMAN AI UPDATE Executive Committee
- Pre-registration Form: https://4136ol.share-na2.hsforms.com/2NL2hyzycSkiMtP4EJev03Q
■ Two Faces Over Two Days: Updating Both 'Work' and 'Life'
WAU2026 is structured by linking two days with different audience demographics, atmospheres, and themes, launching discussions on AI and women's empowerment from both 'work' and 'life' perspectives.
▼ DAY 1 (Friday, September 11) | UPDATE for Business — Updating Corporations
- Theme: The Next Competitiveness Generated by AI x Women's Empowerment
- Target Audience: Executives, Board Members, AI Promotion Leaders, HR, DEI Promotion Officers, Freelancers, Entrepreneurs
- Keywords: Female management leadership in the AI era, policy/social transformation, internal entrepreneurship (spin-outs), talent/workstyles/hiring criteria in the AI era, freelancer strategies, AI solopreneurs, AI utilization from local governments/regions, AI hyper-efficiency, AI promoter networks
DAY 1 is designed as a space to connect AI investment and DEI promotion as the 'same strategy'. It will feature keynote speeches defining the significance of WAU2026 in the context of policy and social transformation, dialogues and panels discussing AI investment and DEI on the same strategic axis, case studies showing specific numbers and examples from companies advanced in AI promotion, and invite-only networking parties.
▼ DAY 2 (Saturday, September 12) | UPDATE for Life — Updating Yourself and Your Daily Life
- Theme: My Everyday Life Changed by AI
- Target Audience: Everyone who wants to change with AI
Structured in two parts—'DAY 1: UPDATE for Business' to update corporations, and 'DAY 2: UPDATE for Life' to update oneself and daily living—it is launched as a conference where participants don't just watch, but touch, try, and take away experiences from both 'work' and 'life' angles.
▼ Pre-registration Form: https://4136ol.share-na2.hsforms.com/2NL2hyzycSkiMtP4EJev03Q
■ How many people truly believe 'AI will change my life'?
The utilization of AI in Japan has largely been discussed in corporate terms such as 'operational efficiency' and 'productivity improvement'. On the other hand, what we hear on social media and in everyday conversation are words of anxiety and detachment: 'AI might take my job' or 'It seems too difficult for me'.
But what really moves people's lives is the accumulation of much smaller changes.
A female farmer changing her harvest decisions with AI. A nail artist becoming able to verbalize a client's ideal using AI. A mother raising children starting a side business with AI. Everyone, at first, thought 'It's impossible for me'.
That small first step updates oneself and changes the shape of one's life.
Women who use AI are the coolest.
We start creating that landscape from Shibuya.
WAU2026 will be the starting point of a movement that visualizes and shares the real differences (Before/After)—the moments when people who thought 'AI is too early/irrelevant for me' change—and updates societal norms.
■ Therefore, it cannot be a place where you just 'listen and leave'
Until now, spaces discussing 'women's empowerment' and spaces discussing 'AI' have existed separately. The language of management and the language of daily life have also been spoken separately. Therefore, the realities on the ground have not reached corporate decision-makers, and management discussions have seemed distant to everyday consumers.
WAU2026 intersects four contexts in one place: women's social advancement, AI, management/work, and daily life. For this reason, we designed it not as a conference where you 'listen and leave', but as an experiential conference composed of four elements: see, listen, touch, and connect.
Speakers and participants interact in the same space, touch the AI discussed in sessions right then and there, and management witnesses how consumers use it. Encounters that transcend contexts will change tomorrow's choices.
■ Event Overview
- Event Name: WOMAN AI UPDATE 2026 (Abbreviation: WAU2026)
- Dates: Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12, 2026
- Venue: Shibuya Stream Hall (Main Venue) + Surrounding Venues
- Organizer: WOMAN AI UPDATE Executive Committee
- Pre-registration Form: https://4136ol.share-na2.hsforms.com/2NL2hyzycSkiMtP4EJev03Q
■ Two Faces Over Two Days: Updating Both 'Work' and 'Life'
WAU2026 is structured by linking two days with different audience demographics, atmospheres, and themes, launching discussions on AI and women's empowerment from both 'work' and 'life' perspectives.
▼ DAY 1 (Friday, September 11) | UPDATE for Business — Updating Corporations
- Theme: The Next Competitiveness Generated by AI x Women's Empowerment
- Target Audience: Executives, Board Members, AI Promotion Leaders, HR, DEI Promotion Officers, Freelancers, Entrepreneurs
- Keywords: Female management leadership in the AI era, policy/social transformation, internal entrepreneurship (spin-outs), talent/workstyles/hiring criteria in the AI era, freelancer strategies, AI solopreneurs, AI utilization from local governments/regions, AI hyper-efficiency, AI promoter networks
DAY 1 is designed as a space to connect AI investment and DEI promotion as the 'same strategy'. It will feature keynote speeches defining the significance of WAU2026 in the context of policy and social transformation, dialogues and panels discussing AI investment and DEI on the same strategic axis, case studies showing specific numbers and examples from companies advanced in AI promotion, and invite-only networking parties.
▼ DAY 2 (Saturday, September 12) | UPDATE for Life — Updating Yourself and Your Daily Life
- Theme: My Everyday Life Changed by AI
- Target Audience: Everyone who wants to change with AI
FAQ
What are the dates for WAU2026?
It will be held over two days, September 11 (Friday) and 12 (Saturday), 2026.
Where is the venue for WAU2026?
The main venue is Shibuya Stream Hall, with other surrounding venues also used.
Who is WAU2026 targeted at?
DAY 1 is for corporate audiences like executives and AI leaders, while DAY 2 is for any consumer wanting to change with AI.