Chinese president Xi Jinping calls for more global efforts to guide AI

What This is

• Xi Jinping used a keynote at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai to urge countries to work together on AI development and rules.
• Xi announced a China-hosted World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, described as an intergovernmental body with headquarters in Shanghai and 29 founding members.
• Several reports said the 29 signers include many Global South countries, and listed members such as Russia, Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela, and delegations from African and Asian countries.
• Xi promoted China’s open-source AI ecosystem as a global public good and an alternative to U.S.-led approaches to AI governance.
• He called for safety and oversight measures so AI stays under human control, including safeguards like early warnings and emergency-response plans.
• Xi criticized what he called the “overstretching” of national security to restrict technology, linking his remarks to U.S.-led export curbs that have squeezed China’s access to advanced chips and other tech.

Why This Matters

• It is a contest over who sets the rules for powerful AI systems: the U.S. and allies, or a China-led bloc that stresses openness and state-led cooperation.
• It adds momentum to a split global tech order, where chip limits and “national security” claims can shape who gets advanced computing and on what terms.
• China’s offers of training and tools aim to win influence in developing countries by tying AI capacity-building to China’s standards and platforms.
• Calls for “human control” highlight rising anxiety about AI causing real-world harm, including cyber misuse and military or surveillance applications.