BRICS leaders seek stronger cooperation over AI safety

1. At a Glance

• BRICS leaders, at the 18th BRICS Summit (New Delhi, 12–13 September 2026), called for wider access to AI resources and stronger international cooperation for safe, secure, inclusive and reliable AI [1].
• Leaders committed to implementing the grouping's separate statement on "Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence" [1].
• Relevant for UPSC as it links India's presidency-year multilateral diplomacy with the fast-evolving global AI-governance debate (GS-II/GS-III overlap).
• Adopted as part of the New Delhi Declaration 2026, the summit's omnibus outcome document covering AI, cybersecurity, DPI, telecom/submarine networks, quantum tech, startups and advanced manufacturing [1].

2. Why in the News

• On Saturday, 12 September 2026, at the 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi under India's BRICS Presidency, leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration 2026, which included a dedicated technology and AI-governance agenda [1].
• India also separately hosted the AI Impact Summit 2026 (18–19 February 2026, New Delhi), which produced the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact, endorsed by over 90 countries — a distinct but thematically linked global-AI initiative in the same year [2][3].

3. Background & Evolution

• BRICS originated as "BRIC" (Brazil, Russia, India, China) — term coined 2001 by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill; South Africa joined in 2010 to make it BRICS.
• Grouping expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE (Saudi Arabia invited but not formalised as of reporting).
• 2026 BRICS Presidency held by India; 18th Summit hosted at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, 12–13 September 2026 [1][4].
• Alongside the summit, the BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition was held on 11–12 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam [4].
• Separately, India hosted the AI Impact Summit 2026 (18–19 February 2026), producing the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact — built around "Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya" and seven thematic pillars ("Chakras") [2][3].

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Detail
Event	18th BRICS Summit
Host/Presidency (2026)	India
Venue	New Delhi (Bharat Mandapam)
Dates	12–13 September 2026 [1][4]
Outcome document	New Delhi Declaration 2026
AI-specific commitment	Statement on "Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence" [1]
Other tech-agenda items in Declaration	Cybersecurity, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), telecom & submarine networks, quantum technologies, startups, advanced manufacturing [1]
Related but distinct initiative	AI Impact Summit 2026 (18–19 Feb 2026), New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact, endorsed by 89–92+ countries/organisations [2][3]
AI Impact Declaration pillars	7 "Chakras": human capital development, broadening access/social empowerment, trustworthiness of AI, energy efficiency of AI, AI for science, democratising AI resources, AI for economic growth & social good [2]
Reporting agency for the article	Press Trust of India (PTI), New Delhi [1]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Geopolitical/Strategic

• Signals BRICS' attempt to position itself as an alternative/parallel forum to Western-led AI-governance efforts (e.g., G7 Hiroshima AI process, EU AI Act) [1].
• India leveraging its 2026 BRICS Presidency to project itself as a bridge-builder between Global South AI concerns and Global North: wide endorsement of the earlier New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact (89–92 countries incl. US, China, Russia, UK, EU states) evidences this bridging role [2][3].

Scientific/Technological

• Declaration explicitly calls for "trustworthy AI technologies" and "improving energy efficiency of AI systems" — reflecting global concern over AI's compute/energy footprint [1].
• Emphasis on "AI for science and innovation" links to India's own AI mission and scientific-diplomacy goals [1].

Governance/Ethical

• Focus on mitigating risks from misuse of ICTs, malicious software, data security threats shows a security-and-safety framing rather than pure innovation-promotion [1].
• Push for "wider access to AI resources" reflects equity concerns — avoiding a compute/AI divide between developed and developing nations [1].

Administrative

• Outcome is a "committed to implementing" declaration — a soft-law, non-binding multilateral commitment, not a treaty; implementation will depend on national follow-through by each BRICS member [1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 18–19 February 2026: AI Impact Summit 2026 held in New Delhi; New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact adopted, later endorsed by 89 countries, subsequently rising past 92 [2][3].
• 11–12 September 2026: BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, alongside the summit [4].
• 12–13 September 2026: 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi; New Delhi Declaration 2026 adopted, including the AI-safety/global-AI-governance statement [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• The 18th BRICS Summit (2026) was held in New Delhi under India's BRICS Presidency [1][4].
• BRICS Summit dates: 12–13 September 2026 [1].
• Outcome document of the 18th BRICS Summit: New Delhi Declaration 2026 [1].
• The Declaration commits BRICS to a separate statement titled "Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence" [1].
• The Declaration's tech agenda spans AI, cybersecurity, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), telecom & submarine networks, quantum technologies, startups, advanced manufacturing [1].
• A DIFFERENT declaration — the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact — was adopted earlier, at the AI Impact Summit 2026 (18–19 February 2026), also in New Delhi [2][3]. Do not conflate the two "New Delhi Declaration" documents.
• The AI Impact Summit's Declaration was built on the guiding principle "Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya" [2].
• The AI Impact Summit's Declaration is structured around seven pillars ("Chakras") [2].
• The AI Impact Declaration was endorsed by 89 countries initially, later joined by more (92+) [2][3].
• BRICS Bharat Innovates Exposition was held 11–12 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam [4].
• BRICS originally stood for Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa; expanded in 2024 with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE.
• The article on BRICS AI cooperation was reported by Press Trust of India (PTI) [1].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: International Relations — "Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests," India's role in multilateral groupings (BRICS), global governance architecture for emerging technology.
• GS-III: Science & Technology — awareness in fields of IT, AI; issues relating to intellectual property rights; cyber security.
• Possible Mains question stems: 1. Discuss the significance of BRICS' 2026 New Delhi Declaration in shaping a Global South perspective on AI governance. How does it differ from Western-led AI regulatory frameworks? 2. Examine India's dual role in 2026 as host of both the AI Impact Summit and the 18th BRICS Summit in advancing global AI governance. 3. AI governance today is fragmented across multiple multilateral platforms. Critically analyse the challenges this poses for coherent international regulation, with reference to BRICS' recent initiatives.

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• AI Impact Summit 2026 & New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact — the earlier, broader multilateral AI declaration hosted by India; frequently confused with the BRICS declaration [2][3].
• India's National AI Mission / IndiaAI Mission — domestic policy backdrop to India's global AI diplomacy.
• G7 Hiroshima AI Process & EU AI Act — competing/parallel global AI-governance frameworks for comparison.
• BRICS expansion (2024) and New Development Bank (NDB) — institutional architecture of BRICS relevant to any BRICS summit question.
• UN discussions on AI governance (UNESCO AI Ethics Recommendation, UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI) — Tier-2 institutional angle.
• Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) diplomacy — India's push for DPI (e.g., UPI, Aadhaar model) export, mentioned within the same BRICS tech agenda [1].
• Cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection — thematically bundled with AI in the Declaration [1].

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Conflating two declarations: the "New Delhi Declaration 2026" (18th BRICS Summit, September 2026) vs. the "New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact" (AI Impact Summit, February 2026) — different summits, different scope, same city/year [1][2][3].
• Assuming BRICS AI statement is a binding treaty — it is a declaratory/soft commitment ("committed to implementing"), not an enforceable instrument [1].
• Misattributing host country/presidency — confirm it was India's 2026 BRICS Presidency, not a rotating non-Indian host [1][4].
• Overlooking that the BRICS AI statement is bundled within a much wider technology agenda (cybersecurity, DPI, quantum, telecom, startups) — don't treat it as an AI-only document [1].
• Assuming all BRICS original members are the only participants — remember 2024 expansion added Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE.