SA's role in reshaping global governance

THE recent BRICS declaration on artificial intelligence marks a critical shift in the global digital agenda.

- PROFESSOR ELDRID JORDAAN

In their joint statement, BRICS leaders reaffirmed each nation’s sovereign right to develop and govern digital technologies, particularly AI, in alignment with domestic priorities and legal frameworks. They called for strengthened capacity-building, robust data governance, and technological autonomy, stating: “We firmly support the right of all countries to harness the benefits of the digital economy... to develop capacities in AI research, foster technological autonomy and innovation, ensure data protection, and promote their own digital economy,’

This affirmation is welcome and timely. Yet, in the face of growing digital inequality, platform gatekeeping, and regulatory imbalance, should we not be thinking about how to move beyond high-level diplomacy toward more tangible, enforceable measures? Perhaps the time has come to complement vision with action and to consider what digital justice might truly look like in practice.