BRICS 2026: The AI Governance Playbook for the Global South

As artificial intelligence becomes a determinant of economic power, strategic autonomy, and global influence, BRICS 2026 marks a critical inflection point in how AI governance will be shaped. This Global Eye Intelligence report decodes how BRICS nations are positioning themselves to influence global AI norms through a development-centric, sovereignty-aware governance framework.

The analysis traces the rise of AI as a geopolitical issue within BRICS, driven by asymmetries in compute access, data dependence, export controls, and regulatory dominance by Western-led frameworks. It explains how BRICS is advancing an alternative approach—one that prioritises interoperability over rigid regulation, capacity-building over compliance, and inclusive access over concentration of technological power.

Covering actors, institutional dynamics, and scenario outcomes, the report evaluates whether BRICS can realistically emerge as a norm entrepreneur in global AI governance or remain constrained by internal diversity and geopolitical friction. It also highlights the strategic implications of AI governance for development finance, digital public infrastructure, skills ecosystems, and Global South technology autonomy.

For policymakers, technology leaders, investors, and strategic analysts, this report offers early clarity on where global AI governance is heading—and who will shape it. Those who follow Global Eye Intelligence gain advance insight into governance architectures before they solidify, ensuring they are positioned ahead of regulatory, technological, and geopolitical shifts rather than reacting after the rules are written.