BRICS Ride the AI Wave to Give Voice to the Global South

Translated by Beatrice Cherubini

At the beginning of July, eleven of the world’s major emerging economies signed the Rio Declaration during the seventeenth BRICS Summit: what the members sought to proclaim was a call to strengthen multilateralism and to build a fairer, more equitable global order.

This aspiration is the result of many months of negotiations, coordination, and efforts to implement cooperation mechanisms aimed at eradicating hunger, addressing the consequences of climate change, and developing new technologies in emerging countries, within a more inclusive and sustainable governance framework.

Therefore, the BRICS seem to be progressively aligning themselves with Western values and principles inspired by the objectives contained in the United Nations Charter and by the commitment to promote the participation of developing countries in global decision-making processes, as stated in their own declaration. The latter strongly reaffirms the importance of the Global South, and it is interesting to note how this geopolitical area could also play a central role in relation to artificial intelligence. The aim is to start precisely in this sector — regarded as a pillar alongside security, finance, and climate — to ensure the inclusion of emerging nations.

Artificial intelligence is indeed both a fundamental starting point and a driving force for progress. To make the most of it, the BRICS intend to invest in the early identification of risks and in building mutual trust through global cooperation and coordination.

In the BRICS plan, the legal framework concerning the right to privacy, the protection of personal data, algorithmic transparency, and intellectual property rights is considered the key tool for building a coordinated and inclusive international security system. At their request, it is essential to ensure that the processes of defining technical standards and specific protocols for AI do not become barriers to market entry for small businesses and developing economies.

But why have the BRICS begun to attach such importance to artificial intelligence? These countries are united, above all, by the desire to reduce their reliance on the West, particularly in terms of digital governance. Their long-term goal is to create autonomous AI ecosystems, as demonstrated by China’s recent declaration of its intention to establish an international organization for cooperation in this sector, aiming to compete with Washington for global technology leadership.

At the opening of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, the Chinese Premier Li Qiang stated that China is particularly eager to share its technologies with countries of the Global South, so that the achievements of AI development can better benefit the whole world. Behind this altruism, however, lies an expansive ambition and intertwined security dynamics, with China increasingly riding the waves of new technologies alongside the United States, in a sea that is becoming progressively rougher and full of rivals.

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