Brazil joins China‑led AI governance body WAICO

China inaugurated the World Organization for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence (WAICO) at the World AI Conference in Shanghai and invited nations to become founding members. Brazil attended with a delegation from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and signed the charter, becoming a founding member of the multilateral AI governance platform.

WAICO aims to promote safe, ethical and human‑centered AI development, reduce disparities in access to AI technologies, and coordinate training and best‑practice exchange among member states. President Xi Jinping pledged 5,000 AI training places for professionals from developing countries and announced free access to an AI‑driven meteorological alert system for 30 nations. The organization will be headquartered in China and its 29 founding members are largely authoritarian regimes, with major Western democracies absent.

Brazil’s participation reflects its interest in expanding AI options and engaging in global rule‑making, though officials have noted limited public detail on the body’s governance structure, voting rules, financial obligations, and data‑privacy safeguards.