Assessing the BRICS digital agenda

This paper is authored Basu Chandola and Sameer Patil, ORF, New Delhi.

BRICS has made strides in developing a digital agenda that promotes the use of digital technologies for development while trying to counter digital harms. The grouping has prioritised areas such as agritech and digital agriculture, technology for education, digital health, technology for climate action, and the use of data to further the development agenda. Additionally, bridging the digital divide, promoting cybersecurity, and furthering the right to privacy have been key priorities. This brief traces BRICS initiatives over the years and presents an overview of its digital agenda. It also recommends four key areas that BRICS could focus on in the future.

Brics held an extraordinary meeting on the situation in the Middle East with particular reference to Gaza on Tuesday. (AFP)

BRICS member countries have made advances in their digital economies by leveraging new technologies, supporting the growth and development of digital services and platforms across sectors and industries, and implementing conducive policies and regulations. The BRICS countries are home to 40% of existing internet users and are responsible for about 30% of the global export of goods related to information and communication technologies (ICTs) and about 11% of digitally deliverable services. The expansion of the grouping led to an increase in the share of exports and the number of internet users. The group now accounts for a 45.2% share in global population, with a 36.7% share in global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and a 23.3% share in global merchandise trade. Therefore, digital cooperation has emerged as an integral part of the BRICS agenda. BRICS has acknowledged that digital solutions and technology are vital to promoting sustainable development and achieving economic prosperity. However, technology has its share of challenges and issues.

This brief examines the BRICS digital agenda to assess how the grouping has balanced the use of digital technologies for development and the potential digital harms that may arise from unprecedented digitalisation. It recommends that BRICS prioritise four key areas—cybersecurity, digital payment solutions, responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI), and digital public goods—to further the use of technology for development while minimising digital harm.

This paper can be accessed here.

This paper is authored Basu Chandola and Sameer Patil, ORF, New Delhi.