WAICO confronts Pax Silica: Why AI states won't choose sides

Artificial Intelligence has evolved into a power struggle, linking mineral resources, energy, semiconductors, and legal authority. On July 16, 2026, twenty-nine states established the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) in Shanghai, creating a new institutional structure. Notably absent from the founding members were G7 countries and Western European governments.

This development positions WAICO as a counterpart to the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, launched in December 2025. However, the two organizations address different facets of AI governance. Pax Silica focuses on material resources, while WAICO centers on norms and cooperation. This distinction means states are not forced to choose between the two initiatives.

Instead, the layered nature of AI technology allows countries to align with different entities at various stages of the supply chain, from mineral extraction to chip manufacturing and model training. This contrasts with previous industrial revolutions, where supply chains were less divisible. The establishment of WAICO signifies a fragmentation of alignment rather than the formation of distinct, opposing blocs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, emphasized that AI development should be a "symphony of international cooperation," not a "solo performance." WAICO's founding members include Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, and Senegal, with a broader membership comprising 10 African and 12 Asian states. A United Nations report highlighted that 118 countries, mainly in the Global South, are not involved in existing AI governance initiatives, a gap WAICO aims to fill with its sole membership requirement being sovereign statehood.

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the development of AI should not be “a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation.”