Nearcon 2026 is the upcoming annual flagship conference from the NEAR Foundation, scheduled to take place on February 23-24, 2026, at the Gateway Pavilion - Pier 2 in the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture in San Francisco, California. ^{[1] [4]} Positioned as a premier, invite-only event for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) industry, it will bring together founders, researchers, and builders to explore the convergence of AI, privacy, and the open web. ^[1] The conference's central theme is "The Internet Wants to Think," signaling a focus on building a more interactive, intelligent internet ecosystem based on user ownership and open-source principles. ^{[2] [3]}

Overview and Background

Nearcon is the official global event hosted annually by the NEAR Foundation for the NEAR Protocol ecosystem. The 2026 edition is presented by NEAR Events. ^[4] The conference series serves as a key gathering for developers, entrepreneurs, and community members to connect, learn about new developments, and showcase innovation on the NEAR platform. ^[2] The conference's focus on AI has led to its inclusion on event calendars for the broader machine learning community, such as that of the PyTorch Foundation. ^[5]

The 2026 edition marks a significant thematic shift for the event series. While previous Nearcons encompassed the broader Web3 and NEAR ecosystems, Nearcon 2026 is specifically focused on Artificial Intelligence, branded as "The Premier AI Industry Conference." ^[1] The vision for the event is to establish how technologies like the NEAR Protocol can provide the foundational infrastructure for an open web where AI and decentralized systems merge. It aims to foster collaboration and debate around building an AI economy centered on trust, transparency, and user ownership of data and intelligent systems. ^{[1] [3]}

Theme and Focus

The central theme of Nearcon 2026 is "The Internet Wants to Think." ^{[2] [3]} This concept represents a move away from the current web, which primarily functions as a passive repository for content, toward a future internet that can reason, create, and interact with users in a more dynamic and intelligent manner. Organizers aim to "cut through the hype" with a program of keynotes, debates, and practical demonstrations to show what is real in the space. ^[4] Discussions are expected to focus on how NEAR's scalable and user-friendly blockchain technology can support this evolution. ^[3]

The conference will delve into several key subject areas related to this vision:

• User-Owned AI: Exploring technical and economic models where users maintain control over their personal data and the intelligent systems they use.
• Privacy in AI: Discussions on the technological and ethical necessity of privacy for creating a scalable and trusted AI.
• The Open Web: A focus on the role of open-source technologies and decentralized principles in building the next generation of the internet.
• AI Economy: Debates on billion-dollar use cases, market adoption strategies, and the ethics surrounding a new AI-powered economy. ^[1]

Additional expected topics include advancements in Chain Abstraction to make blockchain technology invisible to end-users, showcases of projects building on NEAR, new developer tooling, and discussions on DAOs and self-sovereign identity. ^[3]

Agenda and Speakers

Organizers have released a partial live schedule and an initial list of speakers, highlighting the event's focus on AI, enterprise adoption, and the open web. ^[1]

Conference Activities

The two-day event will feature a mix of presentations, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities. Planned activities include:

• Visionary keynotes from global pioneers in AI and open technology.
• Live demonstrations showcasing novel AI agents.
• Hands-on workshops designed for builders and developers.
• Debates between industry leaders on key topics.
• Partner activations and technology showcases.
• A dedicated builders lounge for networking and collaboration. ^[1]

Agenda Highlights

The partial schedule includes sessions focused on AI agents, autonomous systems, and decentralized finance.

Day 1 (February 23, 2026)

• Building the Unified Commerce Layer: A keynote by Illia Polosukhin (NEAR Protocol) on AI agents as economic actors and the NEAR roadmap.
• Autonomous Systems In Practice: A panel with Nalin Mittal (Google), Matt White (Linux Foundation), and Noëlle Becker Moreno (Edge & Node) on the real-world assembly and evaluation of autonomous systems.
• Scaling Intelligence and Generalization: A talk by Lukasz Kaiser (OpenAI) on the importance of generalization over raw scale in AI.

Day 2 (February 24, 2026)

• NEAR Intents: The Future of Finance: A presentation by Alex Shevchenko (NEAR Intents) on the roadmap for NEAR's unified financial layer.
• AI in Production: Where Automation Meets Reality: A panel with Jessica Scrimale (Oracle) and Swaroon Sridhar (Robinhood) on enterprise AI adoption.
• The Checkbook of the Future: Who Holds the Keys?: A discussion on capital control in autonomous systems, featuring Chaddy Huussin (JPMorgan Chase), David Schwed (SVRN), and Avichal Garg (Electric Capital).

This agenda information is based on the partial schedule released by the event organizers. ^[1]

Confirmed Speakers

An initial list of speakers has been announced, featuring prominent figures from the AI, finance, and technology sectors.

Name	Title	Organization
Illia Polosukhin	Co-Founder	NEAR Protocol
Jessica Scrimale	Vice President, Product Strategy, AI	Oracle
Lukasz Kaiser	Researcher	OpenAI
Chris Briseno	Chief Marketing Officer	NEAR Foundation
Nalin Mittal	Product Lead, Web3	Google
Matt White	Global CTO AI, CTO	Linux Foundation, Agentic AI Fdn, PyTorch
Noëlle Becker Moreno	CMO, Co-Founder	Edge & Node, The House
Sergey Astretsov	Head of Product	NEAR AI
Danny Carpentier Balough	Director, Product Marketing and GTM Strategy	NEAR Foundation
Alex Shevchenko	General Manager	NEAR Intents
Swaroon Sridhar	Product Manager	Robinhood
Jeff Wilser	Founder	AI-Curious, The People's AI
Chaddy Huussin	Executive Director	JPMorgan Chase
David Schwed	Chief Operating Officer	SVRN
Avichal Garg	Co-Founder and Partner	Electric Capital
Rob Goldman	Chief Executive Officer	Transparent Technology

The information above reflects the speakers confirmed and published by the event organizers. ^[1]

Participation and Audience

Nearcon 2026 is designed as an exclusive, invite-only conference. The event aims to curate a specific audience to foster high-level discussions and collaborations. ^[1]

Target Audience

The primary audience for the event is a curated group of founders, researchers, and builders who are actively shaping the future of AI and the open web. The wider outreach also targets entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, creatives, and members of the broader Web3 community who are interested in the intersection of AI and decentralization. ^{[1] [3]}

Registration and Application

Participation in Nearcon 2026 is managed through an application process rather than open ticket sales.

• Attendees: Prospective participants must "Apply to Attend" through an official Luma application page. Registration is subject to host approval, and applicants may be asked to verify token ownership to join. ^[4]
• Speakers: Individuals interested in speaking can submit an application through a dedicated Airtable form.
• Sponsors: Organizations seeking to become a partner or sponsor can apply via another Airtable form.
• Press: Members of the media can apply for press credentials through an Airtable form. ^[1]

Promotion for the event began in late 2025. On November 13, 2025, the official NEAR Protocol X (formerly Twitter) account directed followers to the official nearcon.org website to "secure your spot," signaling the opening of the application process. ^[3]

Key Quotes

The official messaging for Nearcon 2026 emphasizes its focus on building a new, user-centric paradigm for artificial intelligence.

• On the event's core mission: "NEARCON is where intelligence, privacy, and the open web converge." ^[1]
• On the intended outcome: "[It is] an invite-only gathering shaping an AI economy built on trust, transparency, and user ownership." ^[1]
• On the technological vision: "Join founders, researchers, and builders redefining how intelligent systems run - private, open, and on your terms." ^[1]
• On the event's vision: "NEARCON is where AI meets the open web and where the future of user-owned AI takes shape." ^[4]
• On the event's practical focus: The conference promises "Two days of keynotes, debates, and demos that cut through the hype and show what’s real." ^[4]