The World Organization for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence was made official this Friday (17), in Shanghai, with the signing of the agreement to create the entity at the opening of the World Conference on Artificial Intelligence and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance.
Among the countries that created the organization are Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, as well as Russia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Kazakhstan, according to a joint note released by the Brazilian government (see the complete list at the end of the article). For China, the agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
In his opening speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping classified the creation of the entity as a major initiative “to respond to the call of the Global South” and unite the international community in promoting the development and governance of AI. “It will be an important milestone in the history of AI development. Our vision from a year ago is now reality,” he said.
“One string doesn’t make music, and one tree doesn’t make a forest,” Xi said, citing a Chinese saying. “The development of AI should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation,” he concluded.
From proposal to foundation
The organization’s proposal had been presented by Prime Minister Li Qiang at the 2025 edition of the conference, when the premier pointed out a “trend towards fragmentation of AI governance” and defended the construction of “widely recognized rules”. The proposal adds to China’s previous initiatives in the area, such as the 2023 Global AI Governance Initiative and the Action Plan on Global AI Governance, a 13-point document launched last year that defines technology as an “international public good for the benefit of humanity”.
Participating in this Friday’s ceremony were the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Prime Ministers of Cambodia, Hun Manet, and Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, and the Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, who also spoke at the opening. During the conference, the Declaration of the Presidency of the meeting was issued.
The leaders present stated that AI technologies should be shared and governed by all countries, so as to benefit them on an equitable basis and to close both the digital and AI divides and the divide between North and South, according to the statement released by the Chinese government. For them, the new entity must foster “open, inclusive, equal and mutually beneficial” cooperation.
The 29 founding countries of the new organization are: South Africa, Algeria, Belarus, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Kazakhstan, China, Congo, Cuba, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Laos, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zambia.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
