BRICS pushes for AI cooperation, digital sovereignty

While leading American technology executives are leading a chorus for slowing down artificial intelligence development, BRICS has stepped up the push for AI cooperation among member states, with Chinese President Xi Jinping proposing the creation of a “BRICS AI open-source” community to promote joint development and application of AI technologies.

Speaking at the BRICS summit in New Delhi earlier this month, Xi said China would pioneer the creation of the community to support the joint development and application of large language models, organise specialised AI seminars and training programmes, and build an open ecosystem for artificial intelligence.

The proposal was one of five initiatives unveiled by Xi to deepen cooperation among BRICS nations in technology, trade and industry. The AI initiative reflects China’s plan to play a greater role in shaping global AI governance, while presenting open-source technology as a global public good and positioning Beijing as an alternative to Washington in the intensifying race for technological leadership.

Xi outlined a vision of China sharing AI technology and expertise with countries across the Global South. This push for an open-source, shared AI ecosystem could emerge as a counterweight to US-led efforts such as the “Pax Silica” initiative, which seeks to build American dominance over artificial intelligence.

US efforts to maintain its technological lead have increasingly been portrayed by analysts as an attempt to erect an “AI Iron Curtain”, while China advocates an open system in which countries can pool resources, infrastructure and technological capabilities.

The shifting competitive landscape was also evident at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), where Chinese open-weight AI models made rapid gains against proprietary systems developed by leading US companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic.

At the same time, Washington and Beijing are preparing for high-level AI talks in September, the first official dialogue on the technology under President Donald Trump's administration. The talks, expected ahead of Xi's planned September 24 visit to the United States, aim to manage growing AI competition and address risks to global security, cyber stability and economic growth.

BRICS and the AI agenda

President Xi’s initiative is significant in the context of BRICS' growing economic and geopolitical weight. Originally an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, BRICS has expanded into a grouping of 11 major emerging and developing economies, representing roughly 45% to 50% of the world's population and more than 35% to 40% of global GDP.

The bloc is increasingly seeking to use AI not only as an engine of economic growth but also as a means of promoting sustainable development, reducing inequalities and strengthening the technological autonomy of countries across the Global South.

A BRICS Policy Center paper published in July 2025 identified four broad pillars of the bloc's emerging AI strategy: governance and ethics, economic transformation, social and labour impacts, and international cooperation and reform.

On governance, BRICS advocates responsible and inclusive AI based on human rights, data protection and information integrity, while calling for a central role for the United Nations in global AI governance.

The economic component focuses on using AI to modernise industries and empower small and medium-sized enterprises. It also promotes “AI sovereignty” ecosystems aimed at enhancing technological autonomy and giving countries greater control over their data and digital infrastructure.

The bloc has simultaneously emphasized AI's impact on workers, calling for a fair transition through worker protection, reskilling and people-centred policies aimed at reducing inequality and promoting social inclusion.

Push for digital sovereignty 

Digital sovereignty has emerged as a central element of the BRICS approach to AI.

The BRICS Policy Center paper argues that developing countries need the capacity to control and influence the infrastructure, data, services and protocols underpinning digital technologies if they are to exercise meaningful influence over AI governance.

This approach involves strengthening legal and technological capabilities while adapting governance frameworks to rapidly evolving technologies.

The agenda has gathered momentum through a series of BRICS meetings and initiatives. Discussions in April 2025 focused on AI's impact on employment, competition and digital markets, alongside policies aimed at protecting workers.

In May, the focus shifted towards sovereign AI and public-sector governance, including guidelines for responsible AI use by governments and strategies for technological autonomy based on open-source models and shared infrastructure.

China's hosting of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in July 2025 provided another platform for discussions on AI governance and the role of emerging economies in shaping the technology's future.

China-Brazil cooperation

China and Brazil have emerged as important drivers of BRICS' AI cooperation.

Brazil's national AI plan envisages investment of 23 billion Brazilian reais through 2028. In May 2025, Brazil and China signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen AI cooperation, including the exchange of knowledge and experience and the establishment of a joint AI laboratory to expand research and innovation capabilities.

China has also established a China-BRICS AI Cooperation Centre aimed at promoting AI development and cooperation among member states.

The Digital Silk Road, the technology component of China's Belt and Road Initiative, provides another potential channel for cooperation in AI, hardware and digital infrastructure.

According to the BRICS Policy Center paper, China's existing technological capabilities give it an advantage in disseminating its AI products, services and digital solutions across developing markets.

Challenging existing AI power structures

The BRICS approach is taking shape against a backdrop of growing concentration of AI capabilities among a small number of powerful states and technology companies.

During Brazil's 2025 BRICS presidency, promoting “inclusive and responsible” international AI governance was identified as a priority, with the group seeking to harness AI's social, economic and environmental potential while addressing inequalities in access to the technology.

The emerging BRICS model seeks to challenge power imbalances created by the concentration of AI development, infrastructure and data in the hands of major corporations and technologically advanced states. Digital sovereignty has consequently become a central component of the bloc's agenda.

BRICS has also called for a greater role for the United Nations in AI governance. The October 2024 Kazan Declaration backed a central UN role while linking AI governance to broader UN reform aimed at giving developing countries greater representation.

Brazil's BRICS presidency further stressed the need to strengthen digital sovereignty across the Global South through transparency, equity and inclusion. It advocated greater investment in digital infrastructure, education and appropriate regulation to democratise access to AI, reduce inequalities and encourage applications in areas such as healthcare, education and the environment.

Taken together, these initiatives suggest that BRICS' AI agenda is evolving beyond simply adopting existing technologies. The bloc is seeking to build the technological, regulatory and institutional capacity needed to give its members a greater say — and potentially greater control — over how AI is developed, deployed and governed globally.