New delhi: South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday called for BRICS to establish an international mechanism for the independent scientific evaluation of artificial intelligence, warning that technological capabilities must not advance beyond humanity's ability to understand and control them. Speaking at the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Ramaphosa said AI could usher in a new era of productivity and human progress, but warned of risks associated with increasingly powerful systems.
According to Anadolu Agency, Ramaphosa emphasized that the capabilities of artificial intelligence models are rapidly reshaping nearly every area of economic and social life. He noted that if used effectively and responsibly, AI could help reduce inequality, poverty, and underdevelopment, while transforming sectors such as medicine, education, scientific discovery, and agricultural productivity. However, he urged governments to heed warnings from those developing the world's most powerful AI systems, citing risks like advanced cyber operations, assistance in biological weapons development, autonomous action, manipulation, mass surveillance, and employment disruption.
Ramaphosa specifically supported Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's calls for greater external oversight of AI developers. He agreed with industry leaders arguing for AI companies to be subject to formal external checks, audits, and government authority. Ramaphosa pointed out that such oversight is already standard practice in industries with significant implications for human safety and well-being, including aviation, pharmaceuticals, nuclear power, and financial institutions.
He proposed that BRICS establish an international mechanism for the independent scientific evaluation of AI, backed by meaningful human control principles and mandatory reporting of serious incidents. Ramaphosa also called for progressively stronger safeguards as AI capabilities increase, alongside investment in sovereign AI capacity for developing economies. He welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposal to establish an AI ecosystem for BRICS, expressing South Africa's support for the initiative.