// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did WAICO say to the robot? "You're a-ma-chine
World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization 世界人工智能合作组织 | |
|---|---|
 Member states of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization | |
| Headquarters | Shanghai, China |
| Type | Intergovernmental organisation |
| Membership | 29 (July 2026) |
| Establishment | July 16, 2026 |
The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) is an international organization that focused on artificial intelligence (AI) established in July 2026. Proposed by China prior to its 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, it is headquartered in Shanghai and oriented toward the Global South.
The organization is viewed as rivalling the US-led Pax Silica initiative, which aims to counter China's influence in the global supply chains for rare-earth elements, semiconductors, and AI.[1]
History
[edit]The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization was first proposed by Chinese Premier Li Qiang in July 2025.[2][3] Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated the same proposal at the 33rd meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in October 2025.[4]
On 16 July 2026, 29 countries signed the agreement on the creation of the WAICO. The signing ceremony happened on the eve of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference.[5] United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres attended the signing ceremony.[6] Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed the agreement on behalf of the Chinese government.[7] The organization is viewed as rivalling the US-led Pax Silica initiative, which aims to counter China's influence in the global supply chains for rare-earth elements, semiconductors, and AI.[1]
The agreement establishes WAICO as a China-led intergovernmental organization, with a design that analysts have described as open to all sovereign states and oriented toward development and the Global South. China's rhetoric has favored the development of open-source artificial intelligence.[8][9][10] China's open models, such as from DeepSeek, Kimi and Z.ai, have gained usage among US companies from below 10% of tokens in mid-2025 to around 40% of tokens in mid-2026.[11]
Member states
[edit]The countries which signed the agreement include:[12]
Algeria
Belarus
Brazil
Cambodia
Cameroon
China
Congo
Cuba
Ethiopia
Indonesia
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lesotho
Malaysia
Mozambique
Myanmar
Nicaragua
Oman
Pakistan
Russia
Senegal
Serbia
South Africa
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Zambia
Reactions
[edit]Arindrajit Basu, writing for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, suggested that the PRC government might intend to use WAICO to expand the country's network of AI cooperation centers or to shape AI policy discussions at the United Nations.[13]
Elizabeth Gibney, writing in Nature in 2025, speculated that WAICO will likely not govern the AI industry in an enforceable way.[4]
Heru Sutadi, in an interview with Majalah ICT, argued that the global AI ecosystem remains highly concentrated. AI model development, computing capacity, GPUs, AI factories, cloud computing, and large-scale data infrastructure are still dominated by a small number of global technology companies. According to Sutadi, this concentration risks creating a new form of digital divide—an "AI divide"—in which countries in the Global South become merely users of AI technologies without equal opportunities to develop domestic AI capabilities. He stated:[14]
WAICO must be more than just an international organization discussing AI developments. It must be a platform that champions the interests of the Global South so that it is not left further behind in the artificial intelligence revolution. AI must be a technology that empowers all countries, not just strengthens the dominance of a handful of global technology companies.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Chen, Laurie; Hall, Casey; Baptista, Eduardo. "Xi pitches China as leader of new global AI order, challenging US dominance". Reuters.
- ↑ "What to expect from China's global AI conference". Anadolu Agency. 2026-07-16. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
- ↑ "China's Xi Jinping launches new AI alliance: What is it?". Al Jazeera. 17 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
- 1 2 Gibney, Elizabeth (2025-12-01). "China wants to lead the world on AI regulation — will the plan work?". Nature. 648 (8094): 503–505. doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03902-y. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 41326711.
- ↑ "Twenty-nine countries sign agreement to establish global AI cooperation body". Reuters. 16 July 2026. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ "成立世界人工智能合作组织协定签署仪式在上海举行" [The signing ceremony for the agreement to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization was held in Shanghai.]. People's Daily (in Chinese). 16 July 2026. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ "Update: 29 countries sign agreement on establishing World AI Cooperation Organization". Xinhua News Agency. 16 July 2026. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ Guey, William; Bougault, Pierrick; Zhang, Wei; Moura, Vitor D. de; Gomes, José O. (2026-06-22). "World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO): Mapping an Emerging Institution in the Global AI Governance Regime Complex". arXiv:2606.23860 [cs.CY].
- ↑ Stan, Alina Maria (2026-07-16). "World AI Cooperation Organization founded in Shanghai". TNW. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- ↑ "China's Xi Jinping launches new AI alliance: What is it?". Al Jazeera. July 17, 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-21.
- ↑ Nicol-Schwarz, Kai (2026-07-07). "Chinese AI models are gaining ground with U.S. companies as OpenAI, Anthropic costs surge". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ↑ "世界人工智能合作组织协定签署仪式举行，总部设中国上海" [Signing ceremony held for the Agreement on the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization; headquarters to be based in Shanghai, China.]. Creaders. 16 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
- ↑ Basu, Arindrajit (21 May 2026). "China's Pivot on Global AI". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Archived from the original on 23 May 2026.
- ↑ "Indonesia Joins WAICO, Digital Expert Heru Sutadi: WAICO Hopes to Develop Global AI That Is More Beneficial, Fair, Transparent, Safe, and Inclusive". Majalah ICT. 18 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.