Chinese President Xi Jinping laid out four key principles for developing and governing artificial intelligence (AI) in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai on Friday.
1. Promote openness and innovation: Xi called for more open-source collaboration, knowledge sharing and international cooperation to accelerate AI innovation, industrial growth and practical applications.
2. Make AI safe and controllable by humans: He highlighted improved risk management, with AI being kept under human control. Xi also called for countries to not bring national security issues into AI, and not to make the security of one country be above that of others.
3. Protecting cultural diversity: Xi said AI development should be inclusive, respecting the diversity of civilizations and the distinct cultures of all countries.
4. Strengthen global governance: He called for a stronger coordinating role for the United Nations and urged countries to align AI development strategies, governance frameworks and technical standards.
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Highlighting the need for global cooperation, Xi said, “We should conduct extensive international cooperation and help Global South countries with capacity building to bridge the AI and digital divides, promote sustainable development and prevent creating new historical injustice in AI”.
Heads of state, government chiefs, international organisations and delegates from around the world.
The conference brought together heads of state, leaders of government, international organisations and global delegates. Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan held a welcome banquet for visiting dignitaries attending the event.
