In Shanghai on July 16, Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa, and other states – 29 countries in total – established the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. As reported to "Kommersant" by the Ministry of Digital Development, the agreement signed by the head of the department, Maksut Shadayev, is a framework document and does not oblige participants to use specific AI models or transfer technologies.
The document creates an institutional framework for joint research, pilot projects, and the exchange of best practices in industry, agriculture, healthcare, and education. At the same time, each country acts voluntarily and within the framework of national legislation. Russia, as emphasized by the ministry, will continue its course towards strengthening its own technological sovereignty but will gain a platform for promoting domestic large language models and participating in the formation of international standards.
The implementation of joint projects, including the possible use of foreign models, will be carried out only on the basis of separate agreements and in compliance with Russian information security requirements. In fact, the signed document is not a supranational regulator, but a tool for voluntary interaction, where Russia expects to promote its approaches without sacrificing national priorities. Earlier, in early July, the State Duma adopted a law that enshrined the concepts of sovereign and national AI models.