NeurIPS is the best AI conference to attend, though its 2027 dates are not yet announced; ICLR (April 26-30, 2027) is #2 and CVPR (June 20-25, 2027) is #3. For builders, AI Engineer World’s Fair is June 29-July 1, 2027.
Seeing robots and AI products from China’s industry in one place
Pick by what you want
Best overall
NeurIPS
Best for deep learning
ICLR
Best for computer vision
CVPR
Best for AI engineers
AI Engineer World’s Fair
Best for business leaders
Ai4
The ranking
1
NeurIPS
Photo: Xuthoria / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe biggest research meeting in machine learning.
When: December (2026: December 6-12 in Sydney); 2027 dates not yet announcedWhere: Europe in 2027, city not yet announcedFirst held: 1987Format: Three days of invited talks plus oral and poster presentations of refereed papers, then two days of workshops and competitions
NeurIPS began in 1987 and is held each December; its 2026 edition is December 6-12 in Sydney. The conference lists Europe for 2027 but has not announced the city or dates. The program is three days of invited talks plus oral and poster presentations of refereed papers, followed by two days of workshops and competitions.
Go ifResearchers who want the widest machine-learning meeting of the year
Skip ifYou need a fixed 2027 date and city today
Why #1 over #2: It is the widest research meeting, where ICLR is more focused.
2
ICLR
Photo: TheGlobetrotter / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe deep-learning meeting with open review.
When: April 26-30, 2027Where: CaliforniaEdition: The Fifteenth International Conference on Learning RepresentationsFounded: Since 2013 it has used an open peer review process; founded by Yann LeCun and Yoshua Bengio
ICLR 2027 is the Fifteenth International Conference on Learning Representations, April 26-30, 2027, in California. Since 2013 it has used an open peer review process, and it was founded by Yann LeCun and Yoshua Bengio.
Go ifDeep-learning researchers who want a spring conference with open review
Skip ifYou want an industry-and-vendor expo show
Why #2 over #3: Its open review and fixed spring dates beat CVPR for deep-learning work.
3
CVPR
Photo: Dllu / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe premier computer-vision event.
When: June 20-25, 2027Where: Seattle, WashingtonFirst held: 1983, in Washington, DCFormat: Main conference plus co-located workshops and short courses
CVPR 2027 is June 20-25 in Seattle, Washington. First held in 1983 in Washington, DC, it combines the main conference with co-located workshops and short courses.
Go ifComputer-vision and multimodal AI researchers and engineers
Skip ifYour work is language or tabular data only
Why #3 over #4: It is the premier vision event, ahead of AAAI’s broader scope.
4
AAAI
Photo: Xuthoria / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe AI conference with the longest record.
When: February 16-23, 2027Where: Montréal, CanadaEdition: The 41st AAAI Conference on Artificial IntelligenceFirst held: 1980, at Stanford University
AAAI-27, the 41st AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, is February 16-23, 2027, in Montréal, Canada. The first AAAI was held in 1980 at Stanford University.
Go ifResearchers who want the earliest big AI conference of the year
Skip ifYou dislike winter travel
Why #4 over #5: It covers all of AI and comes first in the year, unlike ICCV’s vision focus.
5
ICCV
Photo: Tim Sheerman-Chase / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe biennial computer-vision meeting, in Hong Kong in 2027.
When: October 2-8, 2027Where: Hong Kong Convention and Expo CenterSchedule: Held every other year, in years when ECCV is not heldFormat: Tutorials, technical and poster sessions, workshops and a commercial exhibition
ICCV 2027 is October 2-8 at the Hong Kong Convention and Expo Center. It is held every other year, in years when ECCV is not held, with tutorials, technical and poster sessions, workshops and a commercial exhibition.
Go ifVision researchers who want the autumn alternative to CVPR
Skip ifYou cannot travel to Hong Kong
Why #5 over #6: It is the autumn vision meeting, where Data + AI Summit is a vendor event.
6
Data + AI Summit
Photo: MockingBird45 / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe data-and-AI platform summit.
When: June 21-24, 2027Where: San Francisco, plus a virtual optionHost: DatabricksTheme: Apps and agents that work
Data + AI Summit, hosted by Databricks, is June 21-24, 2027, in San Francisco with a virtual option. Its 2027 theme is apps and agents that work.
Go ifData engineers and AI teams building on the Databricks platform
Skip ifYou want a vendor-neutral program
Why #6 over #7: It comes first in June in San Francisco, a week before AI Engineer World’s Fair.
7
AI Engineer World’s Fair
Answrs VerdictThe builder conference for AI engineers.
When: June 29-July 1, 2027Where: Moscone West, San FranciscoScale: 7,500 attendees in 2026, with a target of 10,000 in 2027Audience: AI engineers, founders and technical leaders
AI Engineer World’s Fair returns to Moscone West in San Francisco on June 29-July 1, 2027. It drew 7,500 attendees in 2026 and is targeting 10,000 AI engineers, founders and technical leaders in 2027.
Go ifSoftware engineers shipping AI products who want an expo and talks
Skip ifYou want peer-reviewed research papers
Why #7 over #8: It is built for people shipping AI products, beyond Ai4’s leader focus.
8
Ai4
Answrs VerdictThe Las Vegas AI show for leaders and teams.
When: August 2-5, 2027Where: The Venetian, Las VegasPrice: Standard Pass $1,595; VIP Pass $2,795Includes: Keynotes, track sessions, exhibit hall and a networking app on the Standard Pass
Ai4 runs August 2-5, 2027, at The Venetian in Las Vegas. The Standard Pass is $1,595 and the VIP Pass is $2,795; the Standard Pass includes keynotes, track sessions, the exhibit hall and a networking app.
Go ifBusiness and technical leaders who want AI keynotes plus an exhibit hall
Skip ifYou want a research-paper program
Why #8 over #9: It lists pass prices up front, while AI for Good’s 2027 page leads with speakers and exhibitors.
9
AI for Good Global Summit
Photo: ITU Pictures / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictThe UN-backed summit on AI for global challenges.
When: June 21-24, 2027Where: Palexpo, GenevaScale: 800+ speakers, 300+ exhibitors, 170+ countries and 50+ UN agenciesFirst held: 2017, in Geneva
The AI for Good Global Summit is June 21-24, 2027, at Palexpo in Geneva, with 800+ speakers, 300+ exhibitors, 170+ countries and 50+ UN agencies. The summit was first held in 2017 in Geneva.
Go ifPeople working on AI policy, standards and global-development uses
Skip ifYou want a technical coding conference
Why #9 over #10: It centers policy and global challenges, which WAIC’s show floor does not.
10
WAIC
Photo: Xuthoria / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Answrs VerdictShanghai’s big July AI show.
When: Every July; 2027 dates not yet announcedWhere: Shanghai, ChinaFirst held: 2018Format: Plenary meetings and forums with exhibitions, competitions and technology demonstrations
WAIC is held every July in Shanghai, China, and was first held in 2018. It combines plenary meetings and forums with exhibitions, competitions and technology demonstrations; 2027 dates are not yet announced.
Go ifSeeing robots and AI products from China’s industry in one place
Skip ifYou need confirmed dates before booking
How we ranked these
We ranked each conference on how central it is to AI research or practice, then on how firmly its 2027 dates and venue are published, using each organizer’s own site and Wikipedia. The older tech conferences page already covers NVIDIA GTC and the big-vendor events, so this list leaves them out. ICML is also left out because its 2027 edition lists only South America with no city or dates. Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.
Questions people ask
What is the best AI conference to attend in 2027?
NeurIPS is the biggest research meeting, but its 2027 dates are not yet announced; ICLR (April 26-30, 2027, California) and CVPR (June 20-25, 2027, Seattle) are fixed.
Which AI conference is best for software engineers?
AI Engineer World’s Fair, June 29-July 1, 2027, at Moscone West in San Francisco, is aimed at AI engineers, founders and technical leaders.
When is the first big AI conference of 2027?
AAAI-27, the 41st AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, runs February 16-23, 2027, in Montréal, Canada.
How much does Ai4 2027 cost?
Ai4 lists a Standard Pass at $1,595 and a VIP Pass at $2,795 for August 2-5, 2027, at The Venetian in Las Vegas.
Year first held at a glance
AAAI1,980 year
CVPR1,983 year
NeurIPS1,987 year
AI for Good Global Summit2,017 year
WAIC2,018 year
Year first held, as published by each maker. Picks without a published figure are left off.
