The first race for artificial intelligence was a race for the best model. The second race will decide who sets the rules by which those models operate.
That is precisely why the creation of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) is not just another international body. It is a demonstration of how part of the world envisions cooperation at a time when artificial intelligence is becoming one of the principal tools of economic, technological, and geopolitical influence. At a time when the future is no longer a distant vision but an everyday reality, and the world is changing faster than rules can be written for it.
The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization was established during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China, which over the course of several years has taken its place among the most significant global gatherings dedicated to artificial intelligence. It is not merely a technology trade fair. Alongside showcasing the latest models, robots, and industrial applications, discussions about what rules AI development will need in the future are becoming increasingly prominent.
Why Shanghai?
At first glance it may seem unusual that Shanghai, of all places, became the site where a new international organization seeking to co-shape the rules for artificial intelligence was born. After all, the world's AI hubs are more often identified as Silicon Valley, London, or Brussels. Yet each of those hubs approaches artificial intelligence from a different angle. And that is precisely where the significance of WAICO's creation lies.
Silicon Valley represents above all the world of private technology companies. Its engine is venture capital investment, fierce competition, and the drive to develop ever more powerful models that find commercial applications as quickly as possible. Innovation here emerges from the bottom up — from universities, startups, and technology companies — and only subsequently becomes a matter of interest to the state or the military.
The European Union has taken a different path. Alongside supporting research, it places great emphasis on creating rules designed to protect privacy, fundamental rights, and the safety of citizens. The European AI Act became the world's first comprehensive legal framework for the use of artificial intelligence. At the same time, Europe has by no means abandoned its own development. New language models and technology companies are emerging here — for example, the French Mistral AI, the German Aleph Alpha, and a range of research projects funded by the European Union. The Union is also investing billions of euros in building European computing infrastructure, supercomputers, and the AI Factories programme, all aimed at strengthening European technological self-sufficiency. Nevertheless, debate continues over whether the pace of regulation has outrun the emergence of European companies capable of competing with the largest American and Chinese players.
China, by contrast, links state strategy, universities, research, and industry. Alongside developing its own models, it invests massively in computing infrastructure, chip manufacturing, the training of specialists, and the deployment of artificial intelligence in manufacturing, transport, healthcare, and public administration. At the same time, it is increasingly seeking to enter the international debate about the rules that will govern AI development.
It is here that a new dimension of the entire competition emerges. It is no longer solely a matter of who creates the most powerful model or who offers it to customers first. The question of who will co-shape the institutions, technical standards, and international rules governing how these technologies are used is becoming ever more important. That is precisely why WAICO is not just another international organization. It is the first visible sign that the second race for artificial intelligence is no longer being run over algorithms, but over the rules of their use.
29 different approaches
The founding agreement establishing WAICO was signed by 29 states. In Asia these were China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, together with Oman. Africa is represented by Algeria, Cameroon, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia. From the European and Eurasian space, Russia, Belarus, and Serbia joined, and from Latin America, Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
At first glance this list may appear to be a loose grouping of countries united primarily by cooperation with China. Such an explanation would, however, be too simple. Alongside the world's most populous country and large economies such as Brazil, Russia, and Indonesia stand regional digital hubs, rapidly developing Asian states, and African countries that are still building their basic digital infrastructure. This is therefore not a monolithic "Third World," but a diverse part of the planet entering the age of artificial intelligence from a different starting position than Europe or the United States.
Kazakhstan, for example, has created a dedicated Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, adopted an AI development concept running to 2029, and launched a national platform on which government agencies can build their own assistants and applications without large programming teams. According to the country's ministry, these tools were used more than two million times during 2025, and over fifty specialized AI agents for public administration were under development.
Kenya has adopted an artificial intelligence strategy for 2025 to 2030 built on three pillars: digital infrastructure, data governance and AI, and the promotion of research and commercialization. It does not regard AI as an end in itself or a matter of technological prestige. Instead, it is directed at applications such as precision agriculture, food security, healthcare diagnostics, education, and the improvement of public services.
Brazil plans to invest 23 billion reals in AI development over four years. Its plan includes its own high-performance supercomputer, the development of public services, and an ambition to work with state data within its own technological infrastructure. Artificial intelligence here is presented not only as a product of private companies, but also as a tool for social inclusion and state modernization.
Malaysia has established a National Artificial Intelligence Office and openly declares its intention to transform itself from a consumer of AI into a producer. It is preparing its own action plan for 2026 to 2030, rules for ethical use, and the practical deployment of AI in public administration. One programme is designed to make generative tools accessible to as many as 445,000 public sector employees.
Pakistan approved a national artificial intelligence policy in 2025 as part of a broader vision of a digital state. Oman, meanwhile, links the introduction of AI into its economy and public services with its own rules on security, ethics, and the protection of national values. South Africa, alongside a draft national AI policy, is building digital public infrastructure based on electronic identity, data exchange, and the integration of state services.
Each of these countries is taking a different approach. Some are building their own models and computing capacities; others are starting with the digitalization of the state, education, or practical applications in agriculture and healthcare. At first glance they seem to have little in common. Yet all are united by a single ambition — not to be mere recipients of technologies developed elsewhere in the era of artificial intelligence, but to take an active part in their further development and in the rules that will govern their use.
Almost three billion people, but one goal
This is not an alliance of the most technologically advanced states. It is a group of countries that have understood that if they are not present at the creation of the rules today, they will merely be adopting them tomorrow. The founding states of WAICO together represent almost three billion inhabitants — more than a third of humanity. Although they differ in the size of their economies, their political systems, and their level of digitalization, they are united by the desire to play an active role in shaping the future use of artificial intelligence.
The first phase of the AI race focused on developing the most powerful models, chips, and data centers. The second is shifting increasingly toward technical standards, rules of cooperation, and the conditions under which these technologies will function. It is here that WAICO aims to create space for states that have so far stood largely on the sidelines of the main technological rivalry.
Many of these countries are moreover building their digital infrastructure at precisely the moment when artificial intelligence is becoming a natural part of it. They do not always have to laboriously adapt systems built over decades to new technologies. Unlike many Western countries, some can design new digital services directly with the use of cloud technologies, data platforms, and AI.
This does not mean they have a technological head start. They frequently contend with a shortage of capital, specialists, computing power, and quality data. A lesser dependence on legacy systems can, however, be an advantage in certain areas and enable faster deployment of next-generation technologies.
That is precisely why WAICO may be more than just another platform for international cooperation. It may become a place where technical standards are developed, experience is shared, and common rules are sought for countries that do not wish to be merely the recipients of technologies developed elsewhere, but also their active co-creators.
The game of rules
There is nothing unusual about this. A similar principle has been at work in international trade for decades. The rules of world trade were for a long time shaped primarily under the influence of the most powerful economies. Smaller or developing states therefore gradually began to form their own regional groupings and shared platforms, through which they can also advance their interests in negotiations. WAICO can in a certain sense be understood as an analogous attempt in the field of artificial intelligence. It is not a rejection of existing rules, but an effort to be present at their creation before they are definitively set by someone else.
While global attention continues to focus primarily on the first phase of the AI race — the development of ever more powerful models, chips, and data centers — a second phase is quietly getting under way. The debate over who will determine technical standards, data-sharing rules, system certifications, or the shape of international cooperation. It is here that changes are taking place today which may in the long run prove just as significant as technological progress itself.
The different strategies of WAICO's member states also demonstrate that the future of artificial intelligence will not be determined by a single model or a single path. Quite the contrary — the world today is exploring dozens of different ways to use AI in healthcare, agriculture, public administration, and education. And perhaps it is here that some developing countries may offer experiences that will serve as inspiration even for technologically advanced states.
Moreover, history shows that technological revolutions are not won solely by those who come up with the best technology. They are often won by those whose rules and approaches others ultimately adopt.
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