RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - A total of 29 countries has signed an agreement to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) in Shanghai, China. The signing ceremony took place on Thursday, July 16, 2026, with Indonesia among the founding members of the organization.

According to a report by Xinhua, Indonesia joined 28 other nations in signing the establishment agreement. Alongside Indonesia, other founding nations include Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, and Russia.

Under the agreement, all signatory countries will serve as founding members of WAICO. The organization will operate as an independent, intergovernmental international organization with its headquarters located in Shanghai.

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres also attended the signing ceremony. In the agreement, WAICO declared its commitment to upholding the purposes of the UN Charter.

The organization also promotes extensive consultation, joint contributions, and a human-centric approach. WAICO also aims to strengthen international cooperation and global governance in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

The organization will work to ensure that the development of AI is safe, fair, orderly, and beneficial to all of humanity. The proposal to establish WAICO was first put forward by China in July of last year.

The initiative subsequently gained broad support from various nations, ultimately culminating in the signing of the establishment agreement. The signing of the WAICO agreement took place ahead of the opening of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai.

The four-day conference opened on Friday, July 17, 2026, and will discuss global developments and cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence. (Diva Rifdah)