Twenty-nine countries have signed an agreement in Shanghai, China, to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO).
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and representatives from the 29 countries, including Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Russia and Indonesia, signed the agreement, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.
The signatories became WAICO's founding members.
Under the agreement, WAICO will be an independent intergovernmental international organisation headquartered in Shanghai.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also attended the signing ceremony.
The organisation will “uphold the purposes of the UN Charter, be committed to extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit and adhere to a people-centred approach,” according to the agreement.
It also aims to advance international cooperation and global governance on AI, ensuring the technology is safe, fair and beneficial while promoting its healthy and orderly development for the benefit of all humanity.
WAICO was first proposed by China in July last year.
The four-day World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) is scheduled to begin on Friday in Shanghai.
