China Launches 29-Nation AI Group, Offering 5,000 Training Slots as Xi Pushes Open-Source Rules
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Jul 17
China Launches 29-Nation AI Group, Offering 5,000 Training Slots as Xi Pushes Open-Source Rules
3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Jul 17
Summary
Shanghai marked Xi Jinping’s first in-person appearance at China’s top AI conference, where he cast cross-border, open-source AI cooperation as an alternative to U.S. restrictions.
Beijing used the event to formally unveil the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, a Shanghai-based bloc with 29 member nations including Brazil and Russia.
Xi paired the launch with a pledge to provide 5,000 AI training opportunities over the next five years and to build AI application cooperation centers across the Global South.
The push advances China’s bid to shape global AI standards as Washington tightens trade and model-sharing curbs, even while reports say Beijing is also weighing limits on overseas access to Chinese models.
That mix of openness, regulation and developing-world outreach positions China to expand influence in emerging AI markets while challenging U.S. leadership in the sector.
China champions global AI rules while exporting surveillance tools. Is its new world order a paradox for human rights?
With dueling AI visions from Washington and Beijing, is a truly global standard for safe AI even possible anymore?
As two AI superpowers emerge, must the Global South choose between American innovation and Chinese infrastructure?
The Rise of WAICO: China’s 29-Nation Bloc and the Battle for Global AI Standards
Overview
On July 16, 2026, China launched the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) in Shanghai, bringing together 29 mainly Global South countries to promote open-source, inclusive AI development. WAICO was founded by President Xi Jinping as a strategic move to challenge U.S. dominance and offer an alternative global AI governance framework. By championing open-source models and aiming to bridge the digital divide, WAICO positions itself as a major player shaping the future of AI. This initiative highlights the growing competition between China and the U.S. over AI standards and the direction of global technology rules.