BRICS States Should Tackle AI Risks Together, Xi Jinping Says

BRICS nations should address the risks related to artificial intelligence (AI), Chinese President Xi Jinping said during the group’s summit in South Africa. China’s leader is also convinced that the members of the economic bloc must work to standardize the technology.

BRICS Should Strive for AI Standardization, Chinese President Suggests

BRICS members should resist the risks stemming from the implementation of AI technology and work together on its standardization, China’s head of state, Xi Jinping, said at a plenary session of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. He was quoted by the Russian Tass news agency as stating:

It is necessary to jointly work on lowering the risks related to employment of AI technology and develop the standards of its employment for making AI more secure, reliable and manageable.

Xi also highlighted the key role of a BRICS working group in the cooperation and exchange of information on various issues connected with the adoption of technologies based on artificial intelligence.

Leaders of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – met in South Africa for their annual summit on Aug. 22-24, with Russian President Vladimir Putin joining the talks via video link. The forum was also attended by the heads of state of around 40 other nations.

Participants discussed a range of topics relevant to the development of their nations as well as the organization’s role on the world stage. These included the question of BRICS expansion as well as the promotion of wider use of local currencies in trade among member states and their partners.

In a statement at the BRICS Business Forum, delivered by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, Xi remarked that “right now, changes in the world, in our times and in history are unfolding in ways like never before, bringing human society to a critical juncture,” adding that “we all share a huge stake of survival” in a “shared future.”

Met with initial enthusiasm, AI-based products such as Openai’s Chatgpt have also raised concerns that AI technologies could potentially displace human intelligence and supplant an array of jobs. Chinese state media have warned that chatbots may be used to spread misinformation while regulators in Italy, for example, were worried about inappropriate content.

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