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Can we govern AI in a fragmented world before it’s too late?

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Artificial intelligence is transforming the world at extraordinary speed. It is reshaping manufacturing, finance, healthcare, education, scientific research and even the way governments make decisions. While AI advances at an unprecedented pace, one fundamental question has come to the fore: how to govern intelligence in an interconnected yet increasingly fragmented world?

The question came into sharper focus after Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered the opening address at the World AI Conference in Shanghai. If AI is becoming a defining technology of the 21st century, what kind of international governance architecture is needed to ensure it serves humanity?
The international debate on AI has evolved rapidly from what AI can do to how AI should be governed. The challenge is no longer technological innovation; it is institutional adaptation. The United States, European Union and China have offered different approaches.
The US places priority on maintaining technological leadership and innovation. The EU focuses on protecting fundamental rights through risk-based regulation, transparency, accountability and the protection of privacy. China sees AI as a strategic engine for economic development and industrial upgrading, while also emphasising security, ethical governance and international cooperation.

These differences often dominate headlines. They may also obscure a more important reality. All three recognise that AI is becoming too powerful, pervasive and interconnected to be treated as ordinary technology.

Throughout history, transformative technologies have repeatedly forced societies to redesign institutions. Industrialisation transformed labour regulation. Global finance gave rise to international banking standards. Climate change has required entirely new forms of international cooperation. As institutional economist Douglas North observed, institutions evolve as changing economic conditions create incentives and uncertainties that existing rules can no longer manage effectively. AI may represent the latest example of this process.

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