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The World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025, held in Shanghai 26-28 July, was one of the hottest topics in the privacy and artificial intelligence space across greater China over the past two weeks.
WAIC 2025 welcomed more than 800 participating companies, showcasing more than 3,000 high-tech products, 40 large language models, 50 AI-powered devices, and 60 intelligent robots. Compared to last year's event, the conference demonstrated a much deeper integration of AI technologies across industries and everyday life — clearly showing AI's growing role as a practical enabler of transformation.
Beyond technology, AI governance took center stage. China's Premier Li Qiang delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing the need to balance innovation with security. He highlighted fragmented governance structures and unequal access to computing power and chips as urgent global issues. He called for a more inclusive, collaborative framework for AI governance, highlighting that AI is public good for humanity.
That same day, China unveiled its Global AI Governance Action Plan, outlining 13 key initiatives including:
- Promoting technological innovation and cross-border collaboration.
- Accelerating development of data centers, intelligent computing power and digital infrastructure.
- Driving AI deployment across key sectors: manufacturing, trade, logistics, health care, education, agribusiness, autonomous driving and smart cities.
- Encouraging free, lawful and orderly flow of data.
- Safeguarding privacy and intellectual property rights.
- Building an inclusive AI ecosystem that supports open-source collaboration and expands access to AI tools especially for developing nations.
Premier Li also announced the launch of the World AI Cooperation Organization, to be headquartered in Shanghai. Fun fact: Shanghai is playfully referred to as the "Capital of Magic" by young Chinese people, in contrast to Beijing, the political capital. With over 900 multinational headquarters and a thriving innovation ecosystem, Shanghai could play a pivotal role in shaping global AI governance through the WACO.
On the data compliance front, data protection officers in China should pay close attention to an official notice issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China 18 July requiring mandatory personal data compliance filings for companies processing data of more than 1 million individuals. If your business organization in China meets this threshold, the filing with the CAC must be completed by 29 Aug. Noncompliance may result in penalties for both the company and the DPO.
China's AI and privacy landscape continues to evolve at an extraordinary pace. With great opportunity comes great responsibility, so staying ahead of regulatory developments and taking timely action is more critical than ever.
Barbara Li, CIPP/E, is a partner at Reed Smith.
This article originally appeared in the Asia-Pacific Dashboard Digest, a free weekly IAPP newsletter. Subscriptions to this and other IAPP newsletters can be found here.