29 Nations Sign Agreement to Establish World AI Cooperation Organisation

Twenty-nine countries signed an agreement in Shanghai on Thursday to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO). Under the agreement, WAICO will be an independent intergovernmental international organisation headquartered in Shanghai. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, signed the agreement on behalf of the Chinese government. Representatives from 29 countries, including Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Russia, and Indonesia, also signed the agreement, making them founding member states of WAICO. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the signing ceremony alongside representatives of other countries and international organisations. The organisation will uphold the purposes of the UN Charter, commit to extensive consultation, joint contribution, shared benefits, and adhere to a people-centred approach, according to the agreement. WAICO aims to advance international cooperation and global governance in the field of artificial intelligence, ensuring that AI is beneficial, safe, and fair, thereby promoting its healthy and orderly development for the benefit of all humanity.