Thirty-eight countries have become founding members of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced, marking the most ambitious attempt yet to build a multilateral framework for AI governance. The agreement was signed in Shanghai on July 16.
WAICO emerges as nations race to set rules for artificial intelligence, a technology whose benefits, according to a recent study, are unevenly distributed across the scientific community, with gains concentrating in wealthier institutions and dominant research fields. Wang framed the organization as an extension of China's Global AI Governance Initiative, aimed at building "a fairer and more equitable global AI governance system" that ensures the technology delivers "greater inclusiveness and benefits for all humanity."
The founding membership spans every major region, though the full list of signatories has not yet been published by China's Foreign Ministry. Wang said Beijing will work with other members to get the organization operational "as soon as possible," with a mandate to strengthen international AI cooperation and establish shared standards. The body's creation comes as AI agents are already reshaping how empirical research is produced and verified, a trend that makes multilateral governance frameworks both more urgent and more contentious.
Data on WAICO's enforcement mechanisms, budget, or specific regulatory mandates was not available at the time of publication.
Here is the complete list of the 29 founding member countries of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO). From Asia, 12 Countries: (China , Cambodia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. From Africa, 10 Countries: (Algeria, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia). From Europe, 3 Countries: (Belarus, Russia, Serbia), and from Americas, 4 Countries: (Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela).
Important Note on the 38-Country Figure: On August 12, 2026, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated in a signed article in People's Daily that 38 countries had become founding members of WAICO. However, the specific names of the additional 9 countries were not disclosed in any official announcement or public report. The list above represents the only 29 countries that have been officially confirmed and publicly reported by multiple news outlets as of this date.