China to Lead BRICS Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Initiative

China will take the lead to help foster artificial-intelligence collaboration and development among developing countries, President Xi Jinping said at the BRICS bloc summit in New Delhi.

China will pioneer the establishment of a BRICS AI open-source community, support the cooperation in developing and applying large language models, hold AI seminars and training courses, and build an open AI ecosystem, Xi said in a statement on Sunday released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The country will also work to establish a BRICS digital ecosystem cloud platform, and conduct digital skills training, technological exchange and industrial alignment, Xi said. He also proposed setup of a BRICS engineer cultivation alliance and a youth exchange program for scientific and technological innovation.

XI's proposals come as the AI sector booms, with companies releasing ever-more-powerful models at a frenetic pace. AI itself has come under scrutiny too, with one researcher who worked at both OpenAI and Anthropic this week saying that many people working in the industry believe AI might kill all of humanity by the end of the decade. Xi didn't address the ongoing debate about AI safety.

BRICS was established in 2009 as a counterweight to Western dominance and originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It eventually grew to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.