On July 16, 2026, an event took place in Shanghai that experts are already calling an institutional rift in the global technological architecture. At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), an agreement was officially signed to establish the World Organization for AI Cooperation (WAICO). The new intergovernmental structure includes 29 states, representing primarily the Global South and the BRICS alliance.

The founding members include Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Malaysia, and South Africa. The outline of the new organization consciously excluded representatives of Western countries: the USA and EU member states did not make it to the list of participants. Beijing's initiative received public support from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who emphasized the need to create an inclusive system for global artificial intelligence governance.

The "Open AI" Doctrine as a Response to Sanctions

The creation of WAICO, headquartered in Shanghai, formalizes the split of the global AI sector into two macro-models. In contrast to the pro-Western AI Opportunity Statement (Pax Silica) initiative, which unites 35 states under the aegis of the USA, China is rolling out an "Open AI" doctrine (open-weight models). The PRC's strategy is aimed at overcoming Washington's export restrictions on semiconductors and closed commercial systems, such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

During his speech, PRC President Xi Jinping called on the international community to abandon the "excessive expansion of the concept of national security," which, according to Beijing, hinders developing economies' access to advanced civilian technologies. Experts from Reuters and The Wall Street Journal note that China is transforming open-source code into a tool of macroeconomic influence, significantly reducing the costs of implementing digital systems for partner countries.

Practical Commitments and Technological Expansion

As part of the implementation of the new doctrine, the Chinese side has recorded specific commitments to provide technological support to partners in the medium term. A key event on the eve of the summit was the presentation of the Kimi K3 model by the startup Moonshot AI. The system, possessing 2.8 trillion parameters, became the largest open AI system in history. The integration of this model is claimed to be twice as cheap compared to closed analogues from the USA.

The Chinese side announced large-scale support measures for the coalition's member countries:

  • Software Integration: providing developing countries with free access to basic AI models to create sovereign systems.
  • Infrastructure Development: deploying a network of joint research laboratories based on cloud computing power and processor solutions from Alibaba, Huawei, and ByteDance.
  • Personnel Quotas: allocating 5,000 free places in specialized training programs for AI developers from participating countries.
  • Humanitarian Track: providing 30 states with access to the Chinese AI meteorological forecasting and early warning system for climate disasters.

Geopolitical Balance of Power

According to the charter documents, WAICO is empowered to develop alternative standards for security, technical compatibility, and ethical regulation of generative AI systems. These standards will be offered as a regulatory framework for countries in the developing macro-region.

Official US departments have not yet published detailed comments regarding the creation of WAICO. However, within the framework of existing US Department of Commerce directives, the course remains on tightening control over the transfer of dual-use technologies and advanced computing power to third countries. Thus, the world is moving towards the formation of two parallel technological ecosystems: one based on open weights and Huawei/Alibaba infrastructure, and the other relying on closed licenses from Microsoft, Google, and AWS.