An Italian economist has called for greater availability of advanced AI products for ordinary people, while hailing the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) as an emergent leader for shaping global AI development and the AI economy.
Luigi Gambardella, president and founder of ChinaEU, an international association aiming to help build public-private partnerships, cooperation, and joint investments in hi-tech and digital fields between European and Chinese companies, said that since its inception in 2018, WAIC has played a significant role in promoting technological innovation and industrial application, and building consensus on global governance.
"WAIC is becoming one of the world's leading platforms for shaping the development of artificial intelligence and the architecture of the emerging AI economy. We are entering a new phase. The strategic question is no longer only who develops the most advanced AI, but who builds the infrastructure, standards and partnership that allow its benefits to spread globally. WAIC can accelerate this transition by bringing governments, companies and researchers together around joint projects, inter-operable technologies and real-world applications," said Gambardella.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the just-concluded 2026 WAIC and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on all countries to take a people-centered approach, develop AI for the positive and for good, and ensure that AI is an important driver for shared prosperity and common security.
In Gambardella's view, a people-oriented approach means making health care more accessible, education more personalized, workplaces safer, business more productive, and public services more efficient.
"It also requires advanced AI capabilities to be available beyond a small number of companies and privileged users. This is why I believe we should monitor what I call the 'Price of Intelligence' -- the cost of obtaining reliable, high-quality AI capabilities. When intelligence becomes affordable, innovation becomes democratic. AI should not become a privilege for the few; it should expand opportunities for all," he said.
During the 2026 event, China unveiled a series of AI cooperation outcomes and announced multiple initiatives to cooperate with other countries, including offering AI trainings and building AI cooperation centers.
Gambardella said international cooperation in AI is of vital importance, and China's initiatives to support the global AI development and promote global AI capabilities demonstrate the sense of responsibility as a major country.
"Providing AI training opportunities, creating international application cooperation centers, and sharing practical solutions can help many countries build their own capabilities. Its emphasis on openness, safety, cooperation and inclusiveness suggests that technological leadership must be accompanied by international responsibilities. China's position therefore reflects an effort to present AI development not only as a national industrial objective, but also as a matter of global responsibility," he said.
Expanding AI access would democratize innovation: economist
