Artificial intelligence must neither be feared nor allowed to develop recklessly, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said after the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, warning that governments must keep pace with the rapid development of the technology.
“We should therefore neither fear AI nor approach it recklessly. Our responsibility is to ensure that human governance advances as rapidly as artificial intelligence itself,” Ramaphosa said.
He said governments needed to better understand artificial intelligence and play an active role in shaping its development.
“Our governments should learn to understand what AI is and get involved,” he said, warning against an AI ecosystem that could get “out of control”.
AI Safety Debate
Ramaphosa’s comments come amid a growing debate within the global AI industry over whether the race to develop increasingly powerful systems is moving too fast.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for the development of frontier AI to be paced so that safety measures can keep up with rapidly advancing capabilities. He has proposed independent third-party evaluators, common safety standards and greater international coordination on AI safety.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has backed the broader push for coordination among leading AI companies, while xAI chief Elon Musk has also supported Amodei’s call for greater caution.
The debate has gained urgency as AI systems become capable of carrying out increasingly complex tasks with less human intervention. Concerns include cyberattacks, autonomous AI agents, rapid self-improvement and the possibility that safety safeguards may not keep pace with the technology.
South Africa has called for an international mechanism for the independent scientific evaluation of AI, with Ramaphosa stressing the need for human control and stronger safeguards as the technology becomes more capable.
The New Delhi Declaration adopted at the summit also calls for greater cooperation on artificial intelligence, stressing that AI should be safe, secure, reliable and inclusive. BRICS leaders also backed the bloc’s statement on the global governance of artificial intelligence.
The declaration seeks to balance the opportunities presented by AI with concerns over its risks, while ensuring that developing countries have a greater role in shaping the technology’s future.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has also called for deeper cooperation among member countries on AI and innovation.
Ramaphosa Praises India’s BRICS Leadership
Ramaphosa praised India’s leadership of the expanded BRICS grouping, saying New Delhi played a key role in helping member countries reach consensus.
“While the other countries have to reach a consensus, they need a focal point, and India was that focal point,” he said.
He also praised India for organising a summit of such scale, saying the expansion of BRICS had added “political flavour and depth” to the grouping.
Ramaphosa noted that despite doubts over whether the expanded bloc would be able to agree on a joint declaration, the summit succeeded in adopting one.
“At this BRICS Summit, we were able to adopt a declaration when many thought that we would not succeed in adopting a declaration. We did indeed succeed,” he said.
‘PM Modi Is A Joy For All Of Africa’
Ramaphosa described his bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “very good” and “very relaxed”, calling PM Modi “a practical and forward-looking leader” who was “full of ideas”.
“He wants to see things getting done. It is very positive,” Ramaphosa said.
The two leaders discussed the India-South Africa strategic partnership, trade and investment, the Mandela-Gandhi scholarship and India’s space programme.
India and South Africa are also set to mark 30 years of their strategic partnership. Ramaphosa said he had invited PM Modi to South Africa next year on Nelson Mandela’s birthday.
South Africa will host BRICS in 2028, after China takes over the grouping’s chairmanship next year
