Xi Jinping Responds to the Question of the AI Era with Three Metaphors
Xi Jinping's AI remarks focus on development, governance, and cooperation, sending a signal for industrial upgrading and global coordination Interpreting the three metaphors and China's new measures, and seeing how AI can run fast and run steadily
On July 17, Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the HighLevel Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai and delivered a keynote speech, presenting his views on the development, governance, and cooperation of artificial intelligence.
He responded to public concerns about the AI era with three metaphors: he compared artificial intelligence to a new engine for global economic growth and an accelerator for the transition between old and new growth drivers, stressing its role in promoting industrial upgrading and economic transformation; he compared AI development to a symphony of global cooperation, calling on countries to strengthen coordination and jointly advance governance; and he compared artificial intelligence to a fine steed, proposing that it should be made to run fast while also running steadily, balancing innovative development with safety and controllability.
The article also mentioned that in recent years, China has continued to promote the building of international cooperation mechanisms related to artificial intelligence, and during the conference announced that it would provide training opportunities in artificial intelligence for developing countries, promoting more countries' participation in AI capacity building and application cooperation.