Evgeny Burnaev, a Russian AI specialist and recipient of a national science and technology award, urged stronger international cooperation as an essential prerequisite for the future development of artificial intelligence at the recent World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai.
Why international cooperation is indispensable
Burnaev stressed that AI has moved beyond isolated research projects to become an infrastructure-level technology affecting healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and climate monitoring. Building a mature AI infrastructure requires massive volumes of data and significant compute capacity — resources that often exceed the capabilities of any single country and therefore demand multistakeholder collaboration.
Risks of a non-inclusive AI
He warned that current technologies risk widening development gaps between countries. To prevent a single culture or value system from imposing its norms, Burnaev proposed two targeted measures: deeper cooperation in basic education and scientific research, and the creation of global technical reference frameworks and engineering standards for AI to reduce the risk of failures in critical systems.
The Chinese angle: governance and industrial deployment
Burnaev’s remarks echo the stance China presented at the summit. A Chinese government official emphasized the country’s commitment to aligning development with security, practicing multilateralism and promoting “human-centered” AI that benefits everyone. British press coverage also highlighted China’s growing role in global AI governance.
A growing ecosystem and tangible use cases
Official figures cited at the forum underscored the scale of China’s AI ecosystem: more than 6,000 dedicated AI companies, a core industry expected to exceed 1.2 trillion yuan this year (up roughly 30% year-on-year), and the largest portfolio of AI patents in the world. Chinese open-source models have accumulated over 10 billion downloads, and the consumer market saw more than 100 million “smart” terminals shipped in 2025. Sales of AI-enabled devices (phones and PCs) are expected this year to surpass sales of non-AI products for the first time.
