President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai.
Seventy years ago, the concept of artificial intelligence was first proposed by a group of young scholars at the Dartmouth Conference in New Hampshire, USA. Over the past seven decades, AI scientists and developers worldwide have persistently explored the unknown, advanced through twists and turns, and achieved breakthroughs through perseverance. Seven decades later, as we gather by the Huangpu River to confront a new wave of vigorous AI development, it is of great significance to jointly discuss how to steer global artificial intelligence towards a direction that is beneficial and benevolent for humanity. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, I extend a warm welcome to all of you.
Looking back at history, the invention of the steam engine ushered in the industrial civilization, the widespread adoption of electricity illuminated modern society, and the birth of the internet connected the entire world. Each technological revolution has profoundly reshaped human production and lifestyles, driving significant leaps in economic and social development.
Currently, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, with a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerating breakthroughs. Global AI technological innovation has entered an unprecedented period of activity. Intelligent technologies characterized by the interconnection of all things, human-machine collaboration, cross-border integration, and co-creation and sharing are unleashing immense energy in combination, presenting tremendous opportunities as well as governance challenges. Humanity must directly confront the questions of our time: How do we coexist when machines begin to think? How is security ensured when algorithms participate in decision-making? How can governance keep pace when technology challenges ethics? How is inclusivity achieved when the divide continues to widen? These questions require deep reflection and collective answers from the international community.
China believes that all countries should uphold the people-centered, beneficial and benevolent philosophy, making artificial intelligence an important driving force for promoting common prosperity and safeguarding common security, and jointly build a fair and equitable global AI governance system. In this regard, I would like to offer four points.
First, Uphold Openness and Mutual Benefit to Drive Innovation and Development
Artificial intelligence is a new engine for world economic growth and an accelerator for the transformation between old and new growth drivers, moving from the "digital world" to the "physical world." We must seize this rare historic opportunity, encourage open-source sharing and cooperative collaboration, comprehensively promote AI technological innovation, industrial development, and application scenarios, and synergistically advance the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, the cultivation and growth of emerging industries, and the forward-looking layout of future industries, enabling AI to empower all sectors.
Second, Strengthen Risk Awareness to Ensure Safety and Controllability
Artificial intelligence should become a trustworthy tool for humanity. We must attach great importance to the various endogenous and derivative risks triggered by AI, promote the construction of systems for laws and regulations, technical monitoring, risk early warning, and emergency response, build a solid safety baseline, prevent misuse and malicious use, and ensure that AI always remains under human control. At the same time, we should jointly oppose the practice of generalizing the concept of national security in the field of AI and placing one's own security above that of other countries.
Third, Encourage Inclusiveness and Mutual Learning to Promote Civilizational Exchange
The development and application of artificial intelligence should not erode or harm the diversity of world civilizations and the uniqueness of national cultures. We should use the common values of all humanity to shape the values of AI, wisely utilize AI technology to enhance understanding and tolerance among different civilizations, promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and meticulously cultivate a garden of civilizations where each is beautiful in its own way and all beauties coexist in harmony.
Fourth, Advocate Unity and Cooperation to Improve Global Governance
Artificial intelligence is the shared intellectual achievement and precious asset of all humanity. We should practice true multilateralism, effectively leverage the important role of the United Nations, strengthen the alignment and coordination of AI development strategies, governance rules, and technical standards, and form a global governance framework with broad consensus at an early date, so that this cutting-edge technology can better benefit human society. We should extensively carry out international cooperation, help Global South countries strengthen capacity building, bridge the digital and intelligent divide, promote sustainable development, and avoid creating new historical injustices in the field of AI.
This year marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period. The 15th Five-Year Plan outlines a blueprint for China's economic and social development over the next five years and also provides a list of opportunities for the international community. In recent years, China has actively embraced AI development, combining an effective market with a proactive government, strengthening AI technological innovation, actively promoting the "AI Plus" initiative, fostering a healthy ecosystem where all entities thrive together, and the core industry scale of the intelligent economy has already exceeded one trillion yuan. Various smart devices have entered millions of households, tangibly benefiting people's livelihoods, and "Intelligent Manufacturing in China" has become another shining hallmark of Chinese modernization.
Simultaneously, China has always prioritized both development and security, grasped the trends and patterns of AI development, continuously improved relevant laws and regulations, policy systems, application norms, and ethical guidelines, ensuring that AI is safe, reliable, and controllable, making this powerful steed run both fast and steadily.
As a responsible major country, China has always been committed to being a provider of international public goods in the field of AI. Since I proposed the Global AI Governance Initiative, China has successively promoted the adoption by consensus of a UN General Assembly resolution on international cooperation in AI capacity building, released the AI Capacity Building Inclusiveness Plan and the "AI Plus" International Cooperation Initiative, and proposed the establishment of a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, continuously contributing Chinese solutions.
As the Chinese saying goes, a single string cannot produce music; a single tree cannot make a forest. AI development should not be a solo by any one country, but a symphony of global cooperation. Through the joint efforts of all parties, the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization has emerged in Shanghai, transforming a vision from a year ago into tangible results. This is a major initiative by China responding to the calls of the Global South and uniting the international community to actively promote AI development and governance, and it will become an important milestone in the history of AI development.
To further support global AI development and advance global AI capacity building, I announce that over the next five years, China will provide 5,000 training slots on AI topics for developing countries; establish International AI Application Cooperation Centers for ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, CELAC, the SCO, and BRICS; and promote the application of the "Mazu" meteorological intelligent early warning solution in 30 countries, watching over countless households and safeguarding tranquility across the seas.
"The wise adapt to the times; the knowledgeable follow the course of events." The more rapidly AI technology develops by leaps and bounds, the more correctly we must anchor its direction towards benefiting humanity and doing good, the more precisely we must calibrate the scale of regulation and governance, and the more promptly we must improve measures to prevent loss of control. We must always guide the development of AI with human wisdom and international consensus, making it a truly powerful positive force for enhancing the well-being of all humanity and promoting the progress of human civilization.
China is willing to work with all parties with a more open attitude, more pragmatic actions, and a longer-term vision to grasp and address the opportunities and challenges of AI development, and jointly create a brighter future for human society!
Thank you all.
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