Artificial intelligence for all: how BRICS becomes major player in AI market
What was discussed at the "AI Impact Summit 2026" in New Delhi and why did its outcomes make it clear that the geography of AI is shifting towards the Global South? Read about this and more in the TV BRICS report
Photo: Alena Butusava / iStock
TV BRICS - 6 March 2026
India hosted the largest international summit on artificial intelligence, the AI Impact Summit 2026. The event brought together representatives of more than 100 countries, including all BRICS states, as well as leaders of the global technology business.
AI as a common resource
The forum in New Delhi became the fourth in a series of global meetings dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence. Previous events were held in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea and France. India became the first country of the Global South to host the world’s largest AI summit.
The Indian side immediately outlined the main leitmotif of the meeting: “AI for all”. This summit differs from the previous three in that it adopted a human-centric approach and calls for the democratisation of AI, Kumari Mansi, Coordinator of the Amity Centre for BRICS Studies, noted in an exclusive comment to TV BRICS. She added that artificial intelligence should not be the privilege of a few but the right of everyone.
“The Indian approach is based on the principle of inclusivity: artificial intelligence must not become the monopoly of individual states or corporations. Like the internet or fundamental scientific knowledge, AI must be accessible to all nations of the world in addressing global challenges – whether in healthcare, education or industrial modernisation,” commented Abed Amiri, an expert in economic and technological cooperation within BRICS, digital transformation and the use of AI in business, in an exclusive interview with TV BRICS.
The quintessence of this approach was India’s MANAV framework model for governing human-centric artificial intelligence. According to MANAV, artificial intelligence must be based on ethical principles, follow transparent rules, remain under control, respect national sovereignty, not constitute anyone’s monopoly and have a fundamental legislative basis.
AI governance
Particular emphasis was placed on AI governance and the creation of a unified international legal framework. Specialists believe that the development and implementation of artificial intelligence within a legal and ethical framework is the most effective way to significantly simplify people’s lives. However, ignoring issues of control and oversight may entail serious consequences – both for individual countries and for humanity as a whole.
“Serious concerns were raised about deepfakes, cybersecurity threats, misuse of neural networks and labour market destabilisation. The conclusion was clear: AI transforms and benefits, but only with strong governance, reskilling initiatives and international cooperation,” Deputy Secretary General of the International Association of Digital Economies Alexander Titov said in an exclusive interview with TV BRICS.
States will, one way or another, have to manoeuvre and seek a balance between cooperation and competition in the field of AI. Cooperation is necessary to address ethical, environmental and legal issues; however, excessive regulation may begin to slow down the development of neural networks in individual countries. By proposing ethical approaches and principles for the development of neural networks, India is effectively seeking to assume the role of leader and global coordinator of international cooperation in the field of AI, experts believe.
“The key point to note is this: India, being a vast and attractive market for AI development, has not yet secured a specific niche in the global agenda. That is why the country is now actively trying to find one. In essence, this concerns an attempt to secure the niche of cross-border cooperation, trusted AI and security – regardless of how quickly the country can technologically advance in these areas,” said IT and business expert and founder of a major Russian business network for expert content, Semyon Tenyaev.
However, cooperation in AI regulation is not merely a relatively free niche but also a real necessity. Experts in neural networks and technology have long spoken of the need to create not only rules but even a body or global structure responsible for regulating the development of artificial intelligence.
“Such an institution must ensure that this powerful technology develops within an ethical and lawful framework. Otherwise, uncontrolled use of AI threatens to intensify global polarisation and increase cyber threats, thereby jeopardising global security,” explained Abed Amiri. In his view, without a supervisory body, AI development will turn into a race among countries for leadership in this sphere, which may entail negative consequences.
The great AI race and opportunities for the Global South
Nevertheless, even the emergence of such an institution does not guarantee that all states will fully comply with common AI regulatory rules, especially if these contradict national security interests and the protection of their own data. A number of countries, including Russia, believe that each state has the sovereign right to independently determine the rules of the game in the field of AI development.
“The central question the summit series has still not answered, even after four summits, four declarations, and four years, is not what the framework should say but who has the authority to make it binding and the means to enforce it when violated. Until these fundamental questions are answered or a framework is created to make the commitments binding and countries/stakeholders accountable and put the enforcement mechanism in place, any tangible outcome is difficult to measure,” explained Mansi Kumari.
At the same time, basic knowledge, methodologies and training programmes must be accessible to all states on an equal basis. This is also one of the measures of global security. Concentration of technology in the hands of a single company or country may lead to collapse. This was particularly emphasised at the AI Impact Summit 2026.
“The 'shared resource' rhetoric masks a structural reality where a handful of companies in two countries control the foundational infrastructure of a technology that will govern healthcare, education, judicial systems, and financial access for approximately eight billion people. A machine given a single objective without ethical guidance may exhaust all global resources in pursuit of that objective. It is an illustration of why AI systems must be guided by clear human values and direction must always remain with humans,” Mansi Kumari stressed.
Over the past ten years, artificial intelligence has developed exponentially. According to speakers at the meeting, the moment when machines surpass human capabilities may arrive within just a few years. AI systems will be able to process information and coordinate actions at superhuman speed, exceeding the capabilities of most people. Given this, experts have no doubt that the global AI race has now reached its peak. Some countries rely on colossal investments in pioneering private companies; others, such as China, focus on data control and strong state funding. Others utilise rich scientific and industrial potential.
"Billions were promised for AI in farming and health. If used well, it will create new jobs and better lifestyles for people across regions […] But we must ensure that the benefits reach people, not just big firms. BRICS can help make sure the deal is fair for all," stated Muthu Kumar, editor of the Trinity Mirror English daily and the founder of BRICS Generation in 2015.
Following the summit, it became clear that India is also ready to compete in the “top league of artificial intelligence”. This is evidenced by attempts to create its own technological ecosystem, build data centres, develop local models and provide businesses with access to computing capacity. Many of these measures aim to reduce dependence on technology imports.
“At the summit in India, there was a view that leadership in AI will most likely be multipolar, with no single country dominating. For BRICS countries, the emphasis lies on technological sovereignty, reducing dependence on Western supply chains and advocating a more balanced global AI governance structure. AI is no longer merely a technological competition; it is a defining factor of geopolitical and economic power in the 21st century,” Alexander Titov believes.
At the same time, according to experts, new opportunities and even prospects of leadership in certain AI sectors are now opening up for BRICS countries, primarily India, Brazil and Russia.
“Recognising the geopolitical and economic significance of AI, BRICS countries are capable of forming an alternative, third pole of power in this competitive environment. The creation of joint platforms, data exchange and the development of sovereign models based on national characteristics will enable them to reduce dependence on the two dominant centres and become a key balancer shaping a fairer and more multipolar landscape for the development of future technologies,” Abed Amiri is convinced.
Analysts already believe that the summit in New Delhi represented a serious bid not only by BRICS countries but by the entire Global South to participate in – and even lead – the field of artificial intelligence.
“This is very much like a Copernican shift, as it moves the centre of gravity from AI model behaviour to its supply chain architecture, algorithm regulation to mineral and semiconductor access, ethics frameworks to strategic dependency mapping, and from who uses AI to who owns the compute, the chips, the data centres, and the undersea cables?” Mansi Kumari noted.
For the first time, equal access to computing power, data sovereignty and inclusive governance for all were discussed not as secondary issues but as primary priorities in global and technological development.
"The New Delhi Summit was tangibly different because it focused on developing countries first. It talked about fair access and not just advanced tech. The stress on equitable access and benefits to all irrespective of socio-economic or geopolitical issues, with results reaching the grassroots (the common people), will ensure that this summit will make a better global impact. BRICS is truly becoming a real force for an equitable world," Mansi Kumari concluded.
The article was prepared by Svetlana Khristoforova.