29 Countries Sign the China-Backed WAICO Pact, Splitting AI Governance Into Two Blocs
The World AI Cooperation Organization, launched in Shanghai and backed by Beijing, positions itself as a counterweight to the US-led governance framework — offering technology access without monopoly.
The governance of artificial intelligence is now formally a two-bloc affair. Twenty-nine countries signed the World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO) in Shanghai, an initiative impulsed by Beijing and explicitly framed as an alternative to the US-led order. The pitch, as summarized by @outraspalavrass, is straightforward: WAICO offers member states access to AI technology on terms designed to avoid the monopoly dynamics of the Western frontier labs.
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