The National Conference on Man-Machine Speech Communication (NCMMSC) is one of the most influential academic conferences in the fields of speech science and speech technology in China. Since its establishment in 1990, NCMMSC has continuously served at the forefront of academic research while addressing real-world industrial needs. Over the years, it has become a premier platform bringing together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to advance innovation in speech and language intelligence technologies. The conference has long focused on key areas including speech science, speech technologies, audio signal processing, and human-computer interaction, playing an important role in promoting scientific exchange, technological breakthroughs, and real-world deployment, while contributing significantly to the high-quality development of speech research and applications.
The 21st National Conference on Man-Machine Speech Communication (NCMMSC 2026) will be held on November 5-8, 2026, at the Tianmu Melody Convention and Exhibition Center, Hengqin, Zhuhai, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, China.
NCMMSC 2026 marks the conference's return to the Greater Bay Area after nearly two decades. Leveraging Hengqin's strategic location adjacent to Macao and its strong international connectivity, the conference aims to further strengthen international academic collaboration and deepen industry-academia integration, creating a globally oriented forum for speech and language intelligence research.
The year 2026 also represents a significant milestone for NCMMSC. The conference has been officially included in the China Computer Federation (CCF) Recommended Conference List (Class C), reflecting broad recognition of its academic impact, organizational quality, and research excellence.
NCMMSC 2026 is jointly organized by the China Computer Federation (CCF) and the Chinese Information Processing Society of China (CIPS), and hosted by the CCF Technical Committee on Speech Dialogue and Auditory Processing, the CIPS Technical Committee on Speech Information, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), and Beijing Institute of Technology (Zhuhai). The conference also serves as the annual academic meeting of both technical committees.
The theme of NCMMSC 2026 is: Speech × Language × Multimodality: Towards a New Paradigm of Intelligent Interaction. Driven by recent advances in large-scale AI models, speech technologies, natural language processing, and multimodal intelligence are increasingly converging. In line with this trend, NCMMSC 2026 will focus on emerging topics including speech foundation models, multimodal interaction, affective and cognitive computing, AI-powered speech technologies for healthcare, and accessible and inclusive AI, promoting the evolution of speech technologies from perception and generation toward cognitive understanding and intelligent interaction.
A major highlight of NCMMSC 2026 is that it will be co-located with NLPCC 2026 and AACL 2026, creating an integrated ecosystem for speech, language, and multimodal intelligence. This initiative aims to encourage interdisciplinary and cross-community collaboration while further enhancing international visibility and impact.
NCMMSC 2026 will feature a rich technical program including keynote speeches, special sessions, young researchers forum, student forum, industry forum, technical competitions, and technology demonstrations. By bringing together leading researchers and industry experts from around the world, the conference aims to discuss future visions and key technological challenges in human–machine speech communication in the era of intelligent systems, while promoting scientific innovation in support of national priorities and societal needs.