China just proposed becoming the UN of AI governance. And they want to put the headquarters in Shanghai.

Premier Li Qiang dropped this at the World AI Conference while basically subtweeting the US about making AI an “exclusive game” for a few countries. The timing? Three days after Trump released his AI blueprint to expand US exports to allies. The geopolitical chess match just got a lot more interesting.
Key Learnings:

🌍 Global AI governance is becoming a diplomatic battleground
China is proposing a new international AI cooperation body, positioning itself as the inclusive alternative to US-led tech alliances. For startups, this signals that AI is becoming central to international relations and trade policy. Your AI strategy might need a geopolitics lens.

🤝 The Global South is the new AI frontier
Li specifically mentioned sharing China’s AI advances with developing countries, essentially offering an alternative to Western AI dominance. This could create massive market opportunities for startups willing to build for emerging economies rather than just Silicon Valley use cases.

⚖️ Regulatory fragmentation is the real problem
Despite all the competition, everyone agrees that current AI governance is a mess. “Countries have great differences in regulatory concepts,” Li said. Translation? If you’re building AI products for global markets, you’re navigating a patchwork of conflicting rules with no end in sight.

💰 AI chip restrictions are reshaping the entire industry
Li called out “insufficient supply of AI chips” as a major bottleneck. China’s been cut off from top-tier Nvidia chips, but they’re still making breakthroughs. This suggests the AI hardware landscape is about to get a lot more diverse—and potentially fragmented.

🎯 Open source vs. closed ecosystems is the new divide
China’s pushing for “openly shared” AI while the US focuses on export controls to allies. This philosophical split could determine whether we get one global AI ecosystem or two competing ones.

The wildest part? Over 800 companies showcased 3,000+ AI products at this conference, including 60 intelligent robots. Meanwhile, Elon Musk—who usually shows up to these things—was notably absent this year. Coincidence? Probably not.

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