President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday proposed that BRICS establish an international mechanism for the independent scientific evaluation of artificial intelligence (AI), warning that technological advances must not outpace human governance.
Speaking during the 18th BRICS Summit in the Indian capital New Delhi, the South African leader said the proposed mechanism should be “backed by meaningful human‑control principles, mandatory reporting of serious incidents, progressively stronger safeguards as capability increases and simultaneous investment in sovereign AI capacity for developing economy countries.”
“Our responsibility is to ensure that human governance advances as rapidly as artificial intelligence itself.”
Ramaphosa noted that AI could transform medicine, education, agriculture and productivity, but cautioned that unchecked systems could enable cyber operations, mass surveillance and autonomous actions beyond human control.
The 18th BRICS Summit, hosted under India’s chairmanship, focused on inclusive growth, resilience and innovation.
Ramaphosa also reaffirmed South Africa’s support for scientific cooperation through initiatives such as the BRICS Intelligent Telescope and Vaccine Research and Development Centre, and called for balanced expansion of the New Development Bank to strengthen economic resilience across the Global South.
JN/APA