China's foreign ministry said Thursday it uses open-source AI models to lower costs for developing countries and pledged to promote inclusive, beneficial AI at the 2026 World AI Conference.

The venue for the 2025 World AI Conference & High-level Meeting on Global AI Governance, Shanghai, China, July 25, 2025. (File photo: VCG)

"Open-source AI technologies are a shared asset for humanity," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said at a routine press briefing on Thursday. "China has actively implemented the Global AI Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping and advanced the Global AI Governance Action Plan, providing international public goods to help Global South countries enhance AI capabilities."

Chinese open-source AI models, represented by DeepSeek and Qwen, have significantly lowered the threshold and cost of AI adoption, enabling all parties, especially developing countries, to benefit more equitably from the AI revolution, Mao said.

China would host the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, she said, and stands ready to work with all parties to advance technological innovation, promote the application of AI achievements, foster an inclusive AI ecosystem and inject fresh momentum into global AI development.