Charting an inclusive, open and secure path for global AI governance

Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, accelerating scientific discovery and changing how societies operate. But as AI becomes more advanced, it also raises some pressing questions. How do we coexist with thinking machines? How do we ensure security when algorithms influence decision-making? How do we address ethical challenges posed by technologies through adaptive governance? How do we make AI accessible to all when the digital divide keeps widening?

These critical questions, posed by President Xi Jinping in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-level Meeting on Global AI Governance, lie at the heart of the current AI debate.

AI is both an unprecedented opportunity and a formidable governance challenge. For China, AI is integral to its long-term development strategy. This strategic vision has remained consistent, with AI first included in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), recognized as a frontier technology in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and now central to the "AI Plus" initiative in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). Today, China's core AI industries are valued at over one trillion yuan ($147 billion), driven by a sustained effort to combine technological innovation with industrial upgrading and long-term national planning.

However, China's approach is not about growth alone. Xi has stressed that development and security must advance together. As generative AI, foundation models and intelligent agents evolve rapidly, China has accelerated efforts to build a more comprehensive governance framework, strengthening legislation, ethical standards and regulatory mechanisms to ensure that AI remains safe, reliable and under human control.

China will also play a larger role in shaping the emerging architecture of global AI governance. Since the launch of the Global AI Governance Initiative in 2023, it has promoted consensus at the United Nations on AI capacity building, introduced the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All and the AI Plus International Cooperation Initiative, and consistently advocated multilateral dialogue to address challenges that no country can solve alone.

In this context, Xi proposed four key observations for building a just and equitable global AI governance system.

The first is adhering to the principle of openness and win-win cooperation to boost innovation-driven development. AI is the new engine of global growth, extending from the digital economy into the physical world. Its greatest potential will be realized through openness, not fragmentation. Innovation thrives when knowledge circulates, not when technology is locked behind barriers.

China has made significant progress in AI while acknowledging that breakthroughs in fundamental research and core technologies depend on stronger domestic innovation and deeper international collaboration. But technological progress is not an end in itself. AI matters because it improves lives, strengthens the real economy and creates new opportunities for sustainable development.

Second, strengthen risk awareness and ensure that AI is secure and controllable. AI must remain a tool humans can trust, not one they struggle to control. As autonomous systems take on more complex tasks, risks — from opaque algorithms to cross-border misuse — demand stronger governance. Laws, technical standards and risk-response mechanisms must evolve as quickly as the technology itself.

Yet security should not become a pretext for isolation. An overly broad definition of national security can undermine international cooperation. Turning AI into another arena of geopolitical competition will deepen the digital divide, particularly for developing countries, and weaken global governance.

Third, encourage inclusiveness and promote mutual learning between civilizations. AI is not value-neutral. The languages it processes, the histories it learns and the assumptions embedded in its models shape the values it reflects. Protecting cultural diversity is therefore not a cultural preference but a governance imperative.

AI should enrich rather than erode the diversity of civilizations. At the same time, it should be guided by the shared values of humanity, helping people better understand one another instead of reinforcing misunderstanding and division. AI should serve as a bridge between civilizations, not another force driving them apart.

Finally, the international community should advocate solidarity and improve global governance. No country, however advanced its technology may be, can govern AI alone. Coordinating its development will require shared rules, common standards and effective international institutions, with the United Nations continuing to play a central role.

At the WAIC 2026, 29 countries signed the foundational agreement to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization as founding members. It reflects China's effort to build a more inclusive platform for global AI governance while giving developing countries a stronger voice.

China has pledged 5,000 AI training opportunities for developing countries over the next five years, expanded AI cooperation with regional organizations across Asia, Africa and Latin America, and extended its AI-powered "Mazu" weather early-warning system to more countries.

The future of AI will be shaped not only by powerful models, but by the rules the world chooses to build around them. Xi's address at the WAIC 2026 advocates for an approach that is open, inclusive and rooted in cooperation rather than confrontation. As AI reshapes economies and societies, building a just global governance framework is no longer China's vision alone. It is a shared responsibility — and an increasingly urgent one — if AI is to reduce, rather than deepen, global divides.

The author is a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and president of the Shanghai Association for Artificial Intelligence and Social Development.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thoughts about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.