A new analysis by the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) argues that China is increasingly treating artificial intelligence as an instrument of soft power and geopolitical influence, using the World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai to advance an alternative vision of global AI governance.
Why it matters: According to ISPI, President Xi Jinping used the summit to present China as a promoter of open-source AI, international cooperation and broader access to advanced technologies, particularly for developing countries.
- The analysis argues that the launch of the World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO) and Beijing’s outreach to the Global South reflect a broader effort to shape international AI standards and position China as an alternative to U.S.-led technology governance.
- ISPI also sees Xi’s remarks as an implicit response to Washington’s increasingly restrictive approach to advanced technologies, with competing AI initiatives now appealing to different groups of countries rather than forming two clearly defined blocs.
The context: Mario Nobile, director-general of Italy’s Agency for Digital Italy (AgID), attended the WAIC in Shanghai, the flagship event through which Xi Jinping’s government builds international support for the China-centric model of AI governance.
The expert take: Filippo Fasulo says the importance of Xi’s speech lies both in its timing and its substance. The address came immediately after Donald Trump’s remarks on alleged Chinese interference in the 2020 U.S. election.
- In Fasulo’s view, the contrast allows Beijing to project the image of a country looking to the future while the United States appears increasingly focused inward.
- On substance, Fasulo identifies two strategic messages:
- China does not intend to miss the AI revolution as it once missed the Industrial Revolution.
- Beijing wants to share its model of AI governance with the Global South, using technology as a vehicle for international influence.
- At the same time, Fasulo notes that Xi deliberately leaves room to adapt China’s approach as AI governance evolves, suggesting that the future of the country’s open-source model will depend on changing circumstances.
The bottom line: Beijing increasingly sees AI not only as a technological competition but as a geopolitical one, with governance, standards and international partnerships becoming as important as the technology itself.
