WIC Secretary-General attends AI Forward Summit 2026 in Tunisia

Ren Xianliang, Secretary-General of the World Internet Conference (WIC), attended the AI Forward Summit 2026 in Hammamet, Tunisia, and delivered remarks at the opening ceremony on Sept 9.

Ren said the rapid advance of artificial intelligence (AI) presents both a historic opportunity to move toward artificial general intelligence and challenges such as algorithm governance, the AI divide and security risks. The international community shares a common goal of strengthening governance while promoting AI development, he said.

Ren Xianliang, Secretary-General of the World Internet Conference, attends the AI Forward Summit 2026 in Hammamet, Tunisia, and delivers remarks at the opening ceremony on Sept 9, 2026.

To this end, Ren put forward four proposals.

First, deepen governance cooperation and build a development framework that puts people first and promotes AI for good; second, strengthen capacity building and develop talent for an intelligent society; third, bridge the AI divide and promote inclusive development; and fourth, enhance connectivity and cooperation in the intelligent era.

The WIC has established a Specialized Committee on AI and released relevant research reports, and is ready to share its experience with all parties in AI value development, data governance rules and risk assessment standards. Through platforms such as the WIC Digital & AI Academy and the Global Youth Leadership Program, the WIC provides digital and AI skills training to help countries turn their demographic dividend into an “AI talent dividend.” The WIC has also established the WIC Distinguished Contribution Award, the Specialized Committee on E-commerce, the Specialized Committee on Cultural Heritage Digitalization and the Digital and Intelligent Health Working Group, actively promoting international exchange and knowledge sharing in emerging fields. 

In addition, the WIC has accumulated extensive experience in infrastructure coordination and the development of intelligent ecosystems and is ready to work with partners to explore new pathways for cooperation under the framework of the Digital Silk Road.

Nabil Fahmy, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States; Mohamed Ben Ayed, Secretary of State to the Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs; Seizo Onoe, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau; Haider Herraghi, CEO of CERT, Ministry of Communication Technologies of Tunisia; Mohamed Ben Amor, Director General of the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organization; and Bocar Ba, CEO of SAMENA Telecommunications Council, also attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks.

Ren Xianliang (second from left), Secretary-General of the World Internet Conference, poses for a group photo with other participants at the AI Forward Summit 2026 in Hammamet, Tunisia.

Hosted by the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organization and the Ministry of Communication Technologies of Tunisia, the Summit brought together nearly 700 participants from the Arab and African regions and other parts of the world, including senior representatives from international organizations and the public and private sectors, academics and innovation leaders.

Participants engaged in discussions on AI governance and trust, infrastructure and digital sovereignty, talent and leadership, and innovation and investment.