Iran joins founding members of global AI cooperation body launched by China
Iran has become a founding member of the newly established World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) after signing its founding charter, with Tehran saying it aims to play an active role in promoting international cooperation on AI.
Iran’s Ambassador to China Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli inked the founding document on behalf of the Iranian government, formally placing Iran among the founding members of the organization, ISNA reported on Friday.
After signing the charter, Rahmani Fazli met Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin and stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation in shaping the future of advanced technologies.
“Iran is ready to play an active role in the scientific, research and practical development of AI, as well as in creating international mechanisms for the fair use of this technology,” the envoy said.
He added that by joining the international initiative as a founding member, Iran was pressing ahead with its approach of constructive engagement in emerging technologies and using the potential of AI to promote sustainable development and social progress.
The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) was set up on July 16 at the initiative of China on the sidelines of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai.
Under its founding charter, the WAICO is an independent intergovernmental organization headquartered in Shanghai that aims to promote international cooperation in AI, strengthen global governance of the technology and ensure its healthy, safe and fair development.
Iran established the Headquarters for the Development of AI Technology and Applications in May last year to coordinate policymaking and expand the use of AI in the country.
Earlier this week, Emadeddin Fatemizadeh, head of the headquarters’ secretariat, said Iran’s ranking for AI adoption had improved from 93rd at the end of 2024 to 76th in 2026.
Fatemizadeh said Iran ranked within the world’s top 20 in AI research, but the technology’s penetration across government institutions remains below expectations.
“Iran’s position in AI research is between 12th and 18th, but we do not have a satisfactory situation in the operational use of this technology across government bodies,” he said.
He added that expanding the operational use of AI would require cooperation between government agencies, knowledge-based companies and end users.