Xi positions China as global AI leader in challenge to US dominance

Chinese President Xi Jinping has positioned Beijing as a leader of a new global artificial intelligence (AI) order during his speech at the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai.

Xi urged nations to embrace the historic opportunity presented by open-source AI, offering to share Chinese technology and expertise with developing countries across the Global South to build their capabilities and avoid new historical injustices stemming from unequal access to technology. Comparing AI's transformative potential to that of the steam engine and electricity, Xi outlined China's ambition to lead international efforts to set AI governance standards for the emerging sector. Xi also positioned China as an alternative to rival the American-led Pax Silica initiative, which focuses on securing global AI and critical mineral supply chains.

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