BRICS Leaders Advocate Data Protection Measures to Prevent Unauthorised AI Use

At the BRICS summit held in Rio de Janeiro, leaders of the bloc—now expanded to include 10 member nations—highlighted several major geopolitical, economic, and technological issues. A key focus of this year’s two-day summit is the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), with BRICS leaders expected to call for stronger protections against unauthorized use of AI technologies. The aim is to avoid excessive and exploitative data collection, and to establish fair compensation mechanisms for the use of original content in AI model training. This comes in response to concerns over big tech companies, mostly based in wealthy Western nations, resisting demands to pay copyright fees for such materials.

The diplomatic group, originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and later joined by South Africa, has recently expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. This is the first summit featuring Indonesia as a new member. The inclusion of diverse countries with varying political and regional interests raises questions about the group’s coherence and common goals. Despite these challenges, the bloc now represents more than half the world’s population and 40% of global GDP, according to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

In his opening speech, President Lula positioned BRICS as a modern counterpart to the Cold War-era Non-Aligned Movement, stating that in a time when multilateralism is under threat, BRICS provides a renewed platform for global autonomy and balanced diplomacy. Lula emphasized the bloc’s potential to counter rising protectionism and to offer a space for diplomatic coordination amid increasing global polarization, violent conflicts, and trade wars.

The leaders also addressed pressing international issues, including condemnation of violence in Gaza and Iran, and renewed calls for the reform of global institutions such as the United Nations. With traditional Western-dominated forums like the G7 and G20 facing internal divisions and geopolitical strain, especially under the "America First" approach of former U.S. President Donald Trump, BRICS has sought to fill the vacuum in global diplomacy.

Although the summit faced high-profile absences—most notably Chinese President Xi Jinping, who delegated his Premier, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who participated virtually due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court—there was still a strong show of presence from member states. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa were among the heads of state attending in person, gathering for discussions at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio.

With more than 30 additional countries expressing interest in joining BRICS either as full members or strategic partners, the bloc appears poised for even further expansion. Despite concerns about its growing heterogeneity, BRICS continues to present itself as an alternative model for global governance, emphasizing sovereignty, cooperation, and shared development goals across emerging economies. The summit underscored BRICS’s evolving role in shaping a multipolar world order, particularly as challenges surrounding AI, international trade, and global governance become more pronounced.