China's new World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization is President Xi's clearest play yet for a parallel AI order
Quick Answer
China's Xi Jinping announced 5,000 AI training slots for Global South countries at the World AI Conference, while 29 nations established the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WIKO) in Shanghai, signaling a move towards a parallel AI governance structure outside Western influence.
Quick Take
China's Xi Jinping announced 5,000 AI training slots for Global South countries at the World AI Conference, while 29 nations established the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WIKO) in Shanghai, signaling a move towards a parallel AI governance structure outside Western influence. Xi emphasized human control over AI and criticized broad national security justifications in AI policy, particularly targeting US export controls.
Key Points
- WIKO, headquartered in Shanghai, includes founding members like Russia and Brazil.
- No Western countries participated in the establishment of WIKO.
- China's 'Smart Economy' now valued at over 1 trillion renminbi ($140 billion).
- Xi criticized US export controls on AI technology during his address.
- 5,000 AI training slots aim to strengthen ties with developing nations.
📖 Reader Mode
~1 min readXi Jinping used the World AI Conference in Shanghai to announce 5,000 AI training slots for Global South countries over the next five years. A day earlier, 29 nations formally established the "World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization" (WIKO), headquartered in Shanghai and first proposed in 2025. Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Pakistan, and Indonesia are among the founding members. No Western country signed on. The move is China's clearest bid yet to build a parallel AI governance structure outside Western influence, anchored in regional alliances across the developing world.
Xi also called for AI to remain under human control. He pushed back against overly broad national security justifications in AI policy, a thinly veiled shot at US export controls on AI chips and technology. China's "Smart Economy," which spans AI and other digital technologies, is now worth over one trillion renminbi, roughly $140 billion, according to Xi.
— Originally published at the-decoder.com
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