ICML 2026 opens with record 23,918 submissions and agentic AI dominating the workshop track

BuildFastWithAI·medium signal

ICML 2026 began July 6 in Seoul with a record 23,918 submissions and 'agentic AI' appearing in some form in at least 60 of 247 workshop proposals — roughly a quarter of the workshop program. The composition is the signal: agents have moved from an applied-systems topic to the organizing theme of the field's largest ML venue. Expect the next 6–12 months of agent tooling to inherit whatever evaluation methodology comes out of that track.