China will spearhead the creation of an international organisation to jointly develop AI, the country’s premier said, seeking to ensure that the world-changing technology doesn’t become the province of just a few nations or companies.Artificial intelligence harbours risks from widespread job losses to economic upheaval that require nations to work together to address, Premier Li Qiang told the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Saturday. That means more international exchanges, Beijing’s No 2 official said during China’s most important annual technology summit.Li didn’t name any countries in his short address to kick off the event. But Chinese executives and officials have taken aim at Washington’s efforts to curtail the Asian country’s tech sector, including by slapping restrictions on the export of Nvidia chips crucial to AI development. On Saturday, Li acknowledged a shortage of semiconductors was a major bottleneck, but reaffirmed President Xi Jinping’s call to establish policies to propel Beijing’s ambitions. The govt will now help create a body – loosely translated as the World AI Cooperation Organization – through which countries can share insights and talent.“Currently, key resources and capabilities are concentrated in a few countries and a few enterprises. If we engage in technological monopoly, controls and restrictions, AI will become an exclusive game for a small number of countries and enterprises,” Li told hundreds of delegates huddled at the conference venue on the banks of Shanghai’s iconic Huangpu river.China and the US are locked in a race to develop a technology with the potential to turbocharge economies and – over the long run – tip the balance of geopolitical power. This week, US President Donald Trump signed executive orders to loosen regulations and expand energy supplies for data centers – a call to arms to ensure companies like OpenAI and Google help safeguard America’s lead in the post-ChatGPT era.At the same time, the breakout success of DeepSeek has inspired Chinese tech leaders and startups to accelerate research and roll out AI products.The weekend conference in Shanghai – gathering star founders, Beijing officials and deep-pocketed financiers by the thousands – is designed to catalyze that movement. The event, which has featured Elon Musk and Jack Ma in years past, was launched in 2018.This year’s attendance may hit a record because it’s taking place at a critical juncture in the global race to lead GenAI development. It’s already drawn some notable figures: Nobel Prize laureate Geoffrey Hinton and former Google chief Eric Schmidt were among heavyweights who met Shanghai party boss Chen Jining Thursday, before they were due to speak at the event.
