President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged BRICS member states to develop a joint framework to govern artificial intelligence (AI), calling for stronger oversight, mandatory incident reporting and parallel investment in sovereign AI capabilities for developing economies.
South Africa pushes collective, scientific assessments
Speaking at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Ramaphosa proposed the creation of an international mechanism within BRICS that would independently assess AI from a scientific perspective, Xinhua reported. He argued that governance and human oversight must advance as rapidly as the technology itself, to ensure AI is used safely, inclusively and cooperatively.
The South African leader told the summit that the growing capabilities of AI models are transforming economic and social life. While he acknowledged the potential of AI to boost productivity and human progress, Ramaphosa emphasised the need for safeguards proportionate to the technology’s capabilities.
Key elements Ramaphosa proposed
According to the report, the mechanism Ramaphosa outlined would include several concrete features:
- Independent scientific assessment of AI systems within a BRICS framework;
- Human control and oversight principles to accompany technological deployment;
- Compulsory reporting of serious AI-related incidents;
- Scaled safeguards that increase in stringency alongside AI capability growth;
- Investment in sovereign AI capabilities for developing economies to enable meaningful participation.
The proposal frames governance as both a technical and political challenge: technical because independent scientific assessment requires shared methodologies and expertise; political because BRICS members must agree how to balance openness, national security and commercial competitiveness.
| Proposed Measure | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Independent assessment | Provide an impartial, science-based evaluation of AI risks and capabilities |
| Human oversight | Ensure humans retain meaningful control over high-risk systems |
| Compulsory incident reporting | Build transparency and enable coordinated responses to harms |
| Sovereign AI investment | Allow developing economies to develop capacity and avoid dependency |
Why this matters for South Africa
Ramaphosa’s proposal signals two priorities for South Africa’s technology policy: first, that governance should be proactive rather than reactive; and second, that sovereignty in digital technologies is a strategic goal. Insisting on compulsory reporting of serious incidents would, if adopted, push developers and deployers of AI to disclose system failures or harms — a significant shift from voluntary disclosure models that currently dominate many jurisdictions.
Equally important is the call for parallel investment in sovereign capabilities. For South Africa and other developing economies in BRICS, this speaks to concerns about dependence on large foreign AI providers and the need to build local research, data stewardship and computing resources so countries can participate meaningfully in shaping AI deployment domestically.
Operationalising an independent scientific mechanism will be challenging. It requires agreement on standards, access to systems for assessment, and capacity-building — areas where BRICS members differ in scale and technical maturity. Nonetheless, presenting the idea at a high-level summit elevates the discussion and may accelerate cooperation frameworks.
Ramaphosa’s remarks at the summit were reported by Xinhua and reflect South Africa’s push for both stronger rules and greater national capability in a technology that is reshaping labour markets, state services and commercial activity. How BRICS members respond — whether by setting up a joint body, adopting common principles, or funding shared research — will determine whether the proposal becomes an operational tool or remains a diplomatic signal.
This push comes amid global debates over AI safety, the role of regulation versus innovation, and how to ensure developing countries are not left behind. South Africa’s proposal situates the country as an advocate for collective governance that ties safety measures to capacity-building for lower-income partners.
