TLDR: China has proposed the establishment of a new global organization for AI cooperation, with Premier Li Qiang announcing the initiative at the 2025 World AI Conference in Shanghai. This move aims to foster open, inclusive, and equitable AI development and governance globally, addressing the current fragmented state of AI governance and promoting a shared framework for the technology’s benefits to humanity.
Shanghai, China – In a significant move to shape the future of artificial intelligence, China has formally proposed the creation of a new global organization dedicated to AI cooperation. The initiative was unveiled by Premier Li Qiang during his address at the opening ceremony of the 2025 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai on Saturday, July 26, 2025. The proposal underscores China’s commitment to fostering open, inclusive, and equitable development and governance of AI technologies worldwide.
Premier Li Qiang emphasized the urgent need for collaborative approaches to global AI governance, stating that the current landscape is fragmented, with significant differences among countries regarding regulatory concepts and institutional rules. He called for enhanced coordination and alignment among nations to establish a globally recognized framework and rules for AI governance with broad consensus.
The proposed organization aims to address the risks and challenges posed by AI development, such as machine hallucinations, deep fakes, and AI proliferation, which have garnered widespread attention. Li stressed the importance of consolidating a societal consensus on balancing AI development with security, ensuring that AI ultimately benefits all of humanity.
This proposal builds upon China’s previous initiatives, including the Global AI Governance Initiative in 2023, which promoted an open, inclusive, and fair approach to AI development, and the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All, introduced last year to bridge the AI and digital divides, particularly benefiting the Global South.
During the conference, the Global AI Governance Action Plan was also adopted, urging all parties to work in solidarity to advance AI development and governance. The plan invites governments, international organizations, enterprises, and research institutions to collaborate and promote international exchanges, including through a cross-border open-source community. It also proposes accelerating digital infrastructure development, such as clean power, new-generation networks, and data centers.
The World AI Conference, an annual government-sponsored event in Shanghai, brings together industry leaders, policymakers, researchers, and investors. Notable speakers at this year’s event included Anne Bouverot, the French president’s special envoy for AI, computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as ‘the Godfather of AI,’ and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
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Sources indicate that China is tentatively considering establishing the headquarters of this new global AI cooperation organization in Shanghai. This move is seen as a concrete action by China to practice multilateralism, promote global governance through extensive consultation and joint contribution, and respond to the call from the Global South for inclusive AI development.
