China will lead creation of open source AI for Brics: Xi Jinping

China will lead the creation of an open source artificial intelligence (AI) with an open eco-system for the Brics grouping, President Xi Jinping said on Sunday against the backdrop of intense competition between Beijing and Washington in the sector.

The AI initiative was among five trade and technology related proposals unveiled by Xi at the outreach session of the Brics Summit focused on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. He also proposed a trade and investment facilitation initiative, digital industry cooperation initiative, intelligent manufacturing cooperation initiative and science and technology talent initiative.

The AI proposal follows China’s creation of the World AI Cooperation Organisation, a group of some 30 countries. China is working to build an AI ecosystem that provides domestic and international users with lower cost alternatives to US technology. China’s approach contrasts with the closed model approaches of key American developers such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

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Listing his proposal for open source and inclusive AI, Xi said: “China will be a pioneer in establishing a Brics AI open source community, support cooperation in developing and applying large language models, hold specialised AI seminars and training courses, and build an open ecosystem for AI.”

While addressing the main session of the Brics Summit on Saturday, Xi had proposed the “Brics Initiative on Artificial Intelligence Empowering New Industrialisation” and said China will work with other countries to deepen cooperation in industrial and supply chains.

As part of the trade and investment facilitation initiative, Xi said China will establish a Brics special economic zone partnership, under which countries can set up an intelligent portal, coordinate policies and build a “new frontier for open development”. China will also hold the Brics Forum on Trade in Services next year to advance new drivers of economic and trade cooperation.

Xi’s proposal for a digital industry cooperation initiative envisages the creation of a Brics digital ecosystem cloud platform, and digital skills training, technological exchange and industrial alignment to jointly develop the digital economy.

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Under the intelligent manufacturing cooperation initiative, China will assist Brics states to build smart factories and develop standards and norms, while jointly promoting manufacturing transformation and upgrading. The science and technology talent development initiative will comprise a Brics engineer cultivation alliance for development of engineers and mutual recognition of standards, Xi said.

Xi pointed to changes accelerating around the world and the Global South becoming a key driver of multipolarity at a time when the global landscape is “volatile and fraught with risks and challenges”. Brics countries must rally the Global South and become a stabilising force to bring stability to the world, he said.

“A world without rules is like a crossroads without traffic lights, where chaos and disorder are all but guaranteed. Fairness and justice is a universal aspiration, and international rules must be written by all countries,” Xi said, noting that the logic of “might makes right” no longer holds.

The Global South should also jointly defend rule of law, safeguard basic norms such as sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and peaceful settlement of disputes, Xi said. “We should see to it that the reform of the World Trade Organization proceeds in the right direction, uphold such principles as the most favoured nation treatment, and actively explore new rules for the future,” he added.

“China is opening its door ever wider to the world. We have granted zero-tariff treatment for all the 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China. We will continue to broaden independent and unilateral opening up, and share the opportunities of China’s development with other countries,” Xi said.