China Launches Parallel AI Order with 29-Nation Group

China and 29 other nations have formally established the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, creating a direct challenge to Western-led AI frameworks.

The group, known as WIKO and headquartered in Shanghai, includes members like Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Pakistan, and Indonesia, but no Western countries. Announced at the World AI Conference, this is China's clearest move to build a parallel AI order, as reported by The Decoder. President Xi Jinping also pledged 5,000 AI training slots for Global South countries over the next five years.

Xi called for AI to stay under human control and took a shot at overly broad national security policies, a clear critique of U.S. export controls on AI chips. He noted China's "Smart Economy" has grown to over one trillion renminbi.

For builders and founders, this signals a fragmented future where AI governance may diverge sharply between blocs, complicating collaboration and market strategies.