Sri Lanka AI Week 2026 launched in Colombo on Friday, opening a six-day programme built around a conference, a public exhibition and a national awards night, with speakers drawn from several of the world’s largest technology companies.

The initiative is organised jointly by the Ministry of Digital Economy and SLT-MOBITEL, and runs from 25 to 30 September, NewsFirst reported. The Daily Mirror gave the same dates.

Who is speaking

The programme features experts representing Alibaba, ZTE, Deloitte, Google and Huawei.

SLT Group Chairman Dr. Mothilal de Silva said at the launch that the week had attracted experts from approximately 15 countries. The Daily Mirror puts the conference line-up at over 60 speakers from 16 countries.

What runs when

The National AI Conference takes place on 29 and 30 September at Monarch Imperial, Colombo, bringing together technology leaders, researchers, policymakers, startups and industry figures.

Running alongside it, the AI Exhibition is open from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m., is free and open to the public, and features more than 35 exhibitors. The Daily Mirror lists five components in all: an AI Hackathon, AI Leaders Night, the AI Conference, the AI Exhibition and the National AI Awards, which close the week on 30 September.

Two points where the accounts differ

The outlets describe the ticketing differently. NewsFirst reports that the conference will be “offered free of charge”, while the Daily Mirror says seats for the conference are sold through aiexpo.lk, PickMe or OneTicket and that it is the exhibition that is free. Readers planning to attend should check the organisers’ site rather than rely on either description.

The dates have also moved. When AI Week was announced in August, organisers said it would run from 28 September to 4 October. Both outlets now give 25–30 September. Neither explains the change.

The wider target

The programme sits inside the government’s goal of growing the digital economy from about $3 billion to $15 billion by 2030, with artificial intelligence expected to contribute roughly $1.5 billion of that. Officials have described the week as a platform for AI awareness, skills development and industry collaboration.

Not reported

Neither report gives attendance figures for the launch, the cost of staging the week, or who is funding it beyond the two named organisers.