Pakistan joins World AI Cooperation Organisation as founding member 

Pakistan became a founding member of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) on Thursday after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signed the agreement establishing the forum in Shanghai.

The Foreign Office said Dar signed the agreement on Pakistan’s behalf during a ceremony in China, reaffirming the country’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation on artificial intelligence, particularly from the perspective of the Global South.

Pakistan intends to work with other WAICO members to narrow the global AI divide, expand equitable access to the technology and support its use for development, the Foreign Office added.

China proposed the establishment of WAICO last year as a platform for cooperation on global AI governance.

During his visit, Dar also attended the World AI Conference and held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on its sidelines.

The two foreign ministers reviewed Pakistan-China relations and reiterated their commitment to further strengthening the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.

They also discussed advancing high-quality development under CPEC 2.0 and expanding bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, the digital economy and artificial intelligence.