The Cuban regime became a founding member of the World Organization for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence (WAIC, for its acronym in English) on July 16, established in Shanghai with 29 countries on the eve of the Global Artificial Intelligence Conference, while the island was experiencing one of its worst energy collapses in decades.
The Minister of Communications, Mayra Arevich Marín, led the Cuban delegation that signed the founding agreement and announced the adhesion from her profile on the social network X, stating that the measure "reaffirmed the national commitment to an inclusive and sovereignty-respecting global governance of artificial intelligence."
According to the official, Cuba will work within WAIC to "reduce the technological gap, promote open source, and collectively address the risks associated with the development of artificial intelligence," the outlet noted.
The new organization, primarily driven by China under the leadership of Xi Jinping —who referred to it as "an important milestone in the history of AI development"— is defined as the first intergovernmental entity dedicated exclusively to this technology, with its permanent headquarters in Shanghai. Among its founding members are Russia, Belarus, Venezuela, Brazil, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Laos.
WAIC presents itself as an open platform for all sovereign states without political conditions. However, analysts warn that the organization still lacks binding compliance mechanisms, which limits its actual impact beyond mere statements of intent.
The contrast between the official announcement and the reality in Cuba did not go unnoticed. Just two days before the signing in Shanghai, Cuba experienced its fifth total blackout of the National Electric System in 2026. On July 16, the date of adherence to WAIC, the electricity generation deficit reached 2,240 MW, with a peak hour availability of just 990 MW, less than half of what is needed.
In Havana, power cuts exceed 20 hours daily in July. On July 10, a record high electrical deficit of 2,341 MW was registered, leaving more than 70% of the territory without electricity at the same time. Nine out of the 16 thermoelectric units remain out of service, and the prolonged power outages directly cut access to the internet. In this context, it is ironic not only to talk about Artificial Intelligence but even to consider having a minimally functional internet connection.
The adherence to WAIC is not the regime's first foray into this field. In November 2025, the government established the first National Consortium for Artificial Intelligence with 22 founding members, including universities and state-owned companies such as ETECSA and BioCubaFarma. In April 2025, Díaz-Canel signed an agreement with Russia for a joint artificial intelligence laboratory, and in October 2024, Cuba joined the AI Alliance Network of the BRICS.
The presence of Arevich Marín in Shanghai also carries a geopolitical dimension: the minister was added to the sanctions list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury on May 18, 2026, which makes her participation further evidence of Havana's explicit alignment with the China-Russia bloc against Washington.
While the regime signs agreements on artificial intelligence abroad, the electric crisis pushes Cuba to the brink of total collapse: without stable electricity, without guaranteed connectivity, and without basic technological infrastructure, any aspiration for development in artificial intelligence collides head-on with a reality that 67 years of dictatorship have left in ruins.
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