By: Anit Mukherjee
The following chapter appears in BRICS Dialogues: Policy insights in Brazil's Presidency, a new policy paper from CEBRI.
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a key enabler of economic and social transformation, the BRICS grouping — comprising both emerging and influential economies — has a unique opportunity to shape the trajectory of AI development through a Global South lens. The strategic relevance of this agenda stems from the pressing need to ensure that digital transformation contributes to inclusive development, reduces technological asymmetries, and supports national sovereignty in the digital domain.
Synthesis of Recommendations
Establish the AI Safety and Opportunities Collaborative (AISO), a Global Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence Based in the Global South – Create a permanent multilateral body, similar in structure to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to assess the risks, opportunities, and impacts of AI globally, with a focus on Global South perspectives.
Institutionalize a BRICS Platform for Technical Cooperation, Joint Research, Development, and Innovation in AI – A BRICS AI Compute Hub, for example, can promote the joint development of AI models and applications tailored to the socio-economic, linguistic, and cultural realities of BRICS and Global South countries. Financed by member countries and the New Development Bank, this platform can foster horizontal technical cooperation among BRICS countries — particularly among Brazil, India, South Africa, and new members such as Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE — to jointly develop AI applications and foundational models that reflect the realities and priorities of the Global South.
Advance a Shared BRICS Framework for Safe, Ethical, and Sovereign AI Governance – Develop joint regulatory principles and cooperative mechanisms, such as a BRICS AI Safeguards Initiative that promote innovation while safeguarding public interest and national sovereignty.
Anit Mukherjee is Senior Fellow for the Global Economics & Development program at ORF America.