How India should view China's 'open' AI pitch, Pg15

Key Highlights:

• Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed establishing a BRICS open-source Artificial Intelligence (AI) community at the 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi from September 12-13, 2026.
• The proposal includes cooperation on Large Language Models (LLMs), AI training, and a common digital cloud platform among member countries.
• India, as the host and chair of the 2026 summit, also advocates for wider access to AI resources for developing nations and is building domestic AI infrastructure through the IndiaAI Mission.
• Xi's specific proposal for an open-source AI community and cloud platform was not adopted in the New Delhi Declaration.
• The New Delhi Declaration broadly committed BRICS countries to cooperation on improving access to AI resources, focusing on safety, security, reliability, and inclusiveness.
• China is slated to assume the BRICS chairship in 2027, which could lead to a reintroduction of these AI proposals.

Detailed Insights:

• China's initiative aims to position its AI technology as a global alternative to proprietary systems predominantly controlled by US companies.
• The proposed BRICS AI ecosystem would involve specialized seminars and training courses to foster collaborative development.
• India's IndiaAI Mission is a central-sector scheme focused on creating a robust AI ecosystem by providing subsidized compute infrastructure and supporting indigenous foundation models and datasets.
• The New Delhi Declaration emphasized AI's potential to stimulate economic growth and sustainable development for all nations, particularly those in the Global South.
• The declaration also reaffirmed the commitment of BRICS nations to implement the BRICS Leaders' Statement on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence.
• Both India and China aspire to be leading voices for the Global South in AI development and governance, despite China currently holding a significant lead in AI capabilities.
• China has expanded its AI outreach to developing countries, offering 5,000 AI training opportunities over five years and proposing cooperation centers with regional blocs like ASEAN and the African Union.

Key Concepts Involved:

• BRICS: An intergovernmental organization comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Indonesia, aimed at fostering cooperation.
• Open-source AI: An AI system where its components, including code, training data, and model parameters, are freely available for use, study, modification, and sharing.
• Large Language Models (LLMs): Advanced AI programs trained on vast text datasets to understand, interpret, and generate human-like text for various language tasks.
• IndiaAI Mission: A comprehensive Indian government initiative to build a robust domestic AI ecosystem through infrastructure, research, talent development, and ethical AI deployment.
• Global South: A term referring to countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, often characterized by developing economies and seeking greater equity in global affairs and technology.