Chinese President Xi Jinping used the BRICS summit in New Delhi to promote an open-source artificial intelligence framework for the bloc. The BRICS grouping includes India and the United Arab Emirates. Xi proposed that China lead the creation of a BRICS community focused on open-source AI and support cooperation on the development and application of large language models, including seminars and training programs for member countries.
Xi also invited BRICS members to join the World AI Cooperation Organization, a Beijing-created group that includes nearly 30 countries. The proposal aims to build an AI ecosystem that provides domestic and international users with lower-cost alternatives to U.S. technology. It contrasts with the closed-model approaches used by leading American developers such as OpenAI and Anthropic, and would give China a coordinating role in open AI model development, training and deployment across BRICS member countries.
The initiative highlights competition between Beijing and Washington over AI governance and access to advanced technology. Chinese State Security Minister Chen Yixin criticized blacklists, closed-source systems and technology restrictions, saying they risk fragmenting global AI supply chains and widening differences in technological development.
The BRICS joint declaration issued on Saturday did not specifically endorse Xi's open-source AI proposal. It instead called for international cooperation to increase access to AI resources and to address safety, security, inclusiveness and reliability.
Beijing's support for open-source AI is not without limits. Xi has called for balancing technological development with security, and Chinese policy commentary has previously supported restricting access to the most powerful capabilities of advanced AI models.
