Pakistan, Indonesia and 27 others found a Global South AI cooperation body in Shanghai

On 16 July, representatives of 29 states, including Pakistan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos and Russia, founded the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) in Shanghai. Its stated aim is a multipolar, people-centred approach to AI governance, in contrast to Western-set rules. The plan includes 5,000 AI training opportunities over five years and regional cooperation centres spanning ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, CELAC and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. China also committed to helping 30 more countries deploy customised versions of its MAZU meteorological early-warning system. The article argues the body answers a sovereignty gap: roughly 90 percent of the world's AI-specialised data-centre capacity sits in just two countries, and open-source models such as Qwen, Kimi and DeepSeek offer a route to localised infrastructure. Why it matters: a new intergovernmental venue is where the rules for AI are now being written, and who sits at the table shapes them.

This is a QeRN summary by Ahmed Qerni. Read the original at Pakistan Today: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2026/07/24/the-global-south-claims-its-digital-sovereignty.