BRICS Nations Call For Effective Global Framework On AI, Emphasise On Ethical Development

The BRICS nations emphasised on "the responsible and ethical development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for socio-economic development and inclusive growth of all societies."

Last year in Beijing, BRICS countries expressed their commitment to collaborating on trustworthy AI for the betterment of society and humanity.

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The five-nation BRICS grouping on Friday called for strengthening AI international governance and encouraging policy exchanges and dialogues on AI. With rapid developments and increasing scrutiny, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has caught the eyes of many governments. The Foreign Ministers of BRICS comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa on Friday met in Cape Town, South Africa to discuss various issues including AI. In a joint statement titled ‘The Cape of Good Hope’, the BRICS Foreign Ministers "emphasised the responsible and ethical development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for socio-economic development and inclusive growth of all societies."

"They supported communication and cooperation on AI technology to promote mutual benefits, called for strengthening AI international governance and encourage policy exchanges and dialogues on AI, with a view to exploring to establish an effective global governance framework with the aim to protect human rights and spur innovation and economic growth," the statement, as shared by Ministry of External Affairs, read. 

The statement also referenced to the 'BRICS Summit Beijing Declaration' last year, when the grouping recognised the new  "breakthroughs in the applications of digital technologies, such as Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) may play an important role towards sustainable development."

Last year in Beijing, China, the group of five countries said that  they "acknowledge the need to cooperate with each other to build trust, confidence and security, as well as transparency and accountability in promoting trustworthy AI to maximize its potential for the benefit of society and humanity as whole with specific emphasis on marginalized and vulnerable groups of population." 

However, the nations also express "concerns on the risk, and ethical dilemma related to Artificial Intelligence, such as privacy, manipulation, bias, human-robot interaction, employment, effects and singularity among others."

"We encourage BRICS members to work together to deal with such concerns, sharing best practices, conduct comparative study on the subject toward developing a common governance approach which would guide BRICS members on Ethical and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence while facilitating the development of AI," the Beijing Declaration said.  

On Friday, the BRICS Ministers also called for caution while using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). BRICS FM's "while emphasising the formidable potential of the ICTs for growth and development, recognised new associated possibilities they bring for criminal activities and threats, and expressed concern over the rising level and complexity of criminal misuse of ICTs."

The five-nation BRICS grouping on Friday also vowed to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, and terror financing networks and safe havens, a veiled reference to Pakistan.

In a joint statement titled ‘The Cape of Good Hope’, the Foreign Ministers of BRICS comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa expressed strong condemnation of terrorism "whenever, wherever and by whomsoever committed".

"They (ministers) are committed to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, and terrorism financing networks and safe havens,” the joint statement said.

The five-nation grouping BRICS brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP, and 16 per cent of the global trade.