SHANGHAI A humanoid robot by Digit is transported for a show during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) at the Shanghai World Expo and Convention Center in Shanghai on July 29, 2025. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) Beyond dancing robots and eager-to-help digital avatars, Shanghai's World AI Conference saw China stake its claim to global artificial intelligence leadership and frame itself as a clear alternative to the United States. Assumptions that the U.S. was far ahead in the