Shanghai: In a high-profile announcement at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Chinese Premier Li Qiang has proposed the creation of a global organization dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation and governance. The call comes at a time when the international AI landscape is marked by fragmented regulatory efforts, fierce competition, and widening technological gaps between nations.
Premier Li addressed the conference by highlighting that the rapid evolution of AI demands a coordinated and inclusive global response. He stressed that without international collaboration, AI risks becoming a tool monopolized by a few powerful entities, potentially exacerbating inequalities between developed and developing nations. “We should avoid a scenario where AI becomes the privilege of a few, while others are left behind,” Li emphasized.
The Premier’s statement also reflected China’s ambition to position itself as a leader in shaping the global AI agenda, especially as tensions with the United States continue to escalate over tech restrictions, semiconductor access, and talent movement. With the U.S. tightening export controls on advanced chips and limiting academic collaboration, China is seeking to build parallel alliances and institutions that offer it strategic independence while inviting global cooperation.
To support this vision, China introduced an "Action Initiative for Global AI Governance," inviting governments, research institutions, enterprises, and multilateral organizations to come together in crafting international norms for the safe and ethical development of AI.
The initiative outlines the need for:
• Unified standards and rules to govern AI technology,
• Equitable access to data and computing infrastructure, and
• A commitment to human-centric innovation that benefits society at large.
The initiative also placed significant emphasis on involving the Global South in AI development, seeking to create a level playing field in terms of technological access and innovation support.
The Shanghai AI conference has drawn more than 800 companies and thousands of delegates from around the world, featuring tech giants such as Huawei, Alibaba, Tesla, Amazon, and iFlytek. It has also seen participation from international AI visionaries including Geoffrey Hinton, often called the "Godfather of AI," and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, both of whom underscored the importance of cross-border cooperation to mitigate the risks of runaway AI development.
Beyond politics, the conference showcased China’s latest advancements in generative AI, robotics, speech recognition, and smart manufacturing. In one corner of the exhibition, humanoid robots greeted visitors with fluent multilingual conversations, while in another, AI-generated films and music were on display, underscoring the deep integration of AI into creative and industrial sectors.
Li’s proposal for a new global AI organization is also seen as a diplomatic counterweight to Western-led efforts like the AI Safety Summit held in the UK and the Biden administration’s AI executive order, both of which have been criticized by China for excluding major non-Western stakeholders. Beijing’s move signals that it is no longer content to merely participate in global discussions it seeks to shape the very framework under which AI will evolve in the decades ahead.
However, the proposal is not without skepticism. Critics argue that China’s domestic AI governance record marked by state surveillance, censorship algorithms, and lack of civil society input may undermine its credibility in leading a global initiative. Nonetheless, China's growing technological clout and investment in AI infrastructure cannot be overlooked.
As nations race to harness the promise and navigate the perils of artificial intelligence, Premier Li’s call for unity and multilateralism has added a new dimension to the global AI debate. Whether the world’s major powers will accept China’s invitation remains to be seen but the urgency for global rules, equitable development, and shared ethical standards is no longer a distant concern it is today’s imperative.