BRICS leaders call for stronger international cooperation, wider access to AI resources

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Russia's President Vladimir Putin, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China's President Xi Jinping pose for a photo during the BRICS summit in New Delhi | Photo Credit: Reuters

BRICS leaders on Saturday (September 12, 2026) called for wider access to AI resources and stronger international cooperation to ensure the technology is safe, secure, inclusive and reliable, and its potential risks are mitigated, as they committed to implementing the grouping's statement on 'Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence'.

The New Delhi Declaration 2026, adopted at the 18th BRICS Summit being held in the national capital, laid out a broad technology agenda spanning AI, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure (DPI), telecom and submarine networks, quantum technologies, startups and advanced manufacturing.

The declaration highlighted the immense opportunity that AI offered to stimulate economic growth and sustainable development for all.

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It pushed for concerted and inclusive efforts to address the challenges stemming from and within the digital realm, such as threats to security in the use of ICTs, malicious software, data security, and the misuse of technologies including cybercrime, misinformation, hate speech, disinformation and deepfakes.

The declaration also called for wider access to AI resources alongside safeguards for safety and reliability and committed "to implement the BRICS Leaders' Statement on the Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence".

The declaration called for fostering AI for science and innovation, developing trustworthy AI technologies, improving energy efficiency of AI systems and mitigating potential risks.

"We further note that international cooperation in enhancing accessibility of AI resources while ensuring its safety, security, inclusiveness and reliability, for promoting energy efficiency of AI systems, fostering AI Science and Innovation, developing trustworthy AI technologies, leveraging AI for economic growth and social good and mitigating potential risks would be essential for promoting a just, fair, equitable and prosperous future of all countries, especially those of Global South," it said.

The declaration highlighted India's AI Impact Summit held in February and the World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai.

In another key articulation, the declaration called for deeper cooperation towards building a "sovereign and self-reliant digital ecosystem", while recognising digital and ICT ecosystems as critical to economic development, social inclusion, service delivery and innovation.

"We recognise that digital and ICT ecosystems are a critical foundation for economic development, social inclusion, improved service delivery, sustainable growth, resilience and innovation and emphasise deepening BRICS cooperation towards a sovereign and self-reliant digital ecosystem," it said.

It underscored the transformative potential of resilient, safe, secure, inc