BRICS Leaders Push for Global AI Access and Safety Cooperation at New Delhi Summit

NEW DELHI — Leaders of the BRICS bloc on Sept. 15 called for broader access to artificial‑intelligence tools and stronger international cooperation to manage safety risks, the summit’s final communiqué said.

Summit consensus on AI access

India, China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa agreed that AI should not become a privilege of a few advanced economies. The group urged the creation of a multilateral fund to help developing members acquire high‑performance computing infrastructure and to support open‑source AI research.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hosting the summit, said the initiative would “bridge the digital divide and empower emerging economies to harness AI for sustainable development.”

Cooperation on safety and risk mitigation

The leaders stressed the need for a common set of safety standards, citing concerns over deep‑fakes, algorithmic bias and autonomous weapons. A joint working group will be established to draft guidelines on data privacy, model transparency and ethical deployment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that “uncoordinated regulation can fragment the global AI ecosystem,” urging the BRICS nations to lead a coordinated response at the United Nations level.

Implementation roadmap

Key actions outlined include:

• Launching the BRICS AI Access Fund with an initial capital of ₹5 billion, contributed equally by member states.
• Holding quarterly technical workshops in New Delhi, Shanghai, Moscow, Brasília and Pretoria to share best practices.
• Submitting a joint proposal to the UN General Assembly by March 2027 for a global AI safety treaty.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that the proposal would “strengthen global governance and prevent a race to the bottom in AI safety standards.”

Reactions and challenges

Western analysts view the move as a bid to shape AI norms outside the existing OECD framework. The European Commission’s director for digital policy, Margrethe Vestager, said the BRICS effort “highlights the urgency of inclusive dialogue but must align with universal human‑rights standards.”

Critics within the bloc warned that funding mechanisms could be hampered by differing fiscal capacities. Brazil’s Finance Minister Fernando Haddad called for transparent accounting to ensure the ₹5 billion pool is allocated fairly.

Next steps

The BRICS AI Working Group will convene its first meeting in January 2027 to draft the safety guidelines. Meanwhile, the summit’s host nation pledged to host an annual AI summit for developing economies, starting in 2028.