By Zhang Heling and Lyu Junwen
A Brazilian experthas called onBRICS nations to accelerate cooperation in digital technologies and artificial intelligence to breakWestern technological dominance.
José Eduardo Cassiolato, a professor at the Economics Instituteof theFederal University of Rio de Janeiro, warnedthat"global digital conglomerates control 92% of AI patents," posing threatsto emerging economies'economic and political sovereignty.
Speaking at a BRICS governance forum in Rio de Janeiroon June 30, Cassiolato argued that the COVID-19 pandemic and recent geopolitical crises have exposed fundamental vulnerabilitiesin the global system. He pointed out that Western technology companies maintaincontrol over data flows and AI infrastructure, whilefinancialized capitalism prioritizes short-term profitsover individualwelfare.
Automation, he added, will continueto exacerbate inequality by eliminating employment.
José Eduardo Cassiolato, a professor at the Economics Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, speaks at the BRICS Seminar on Governance and Cultural Exchange Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 30, 2025. [Photo courtesy of the event organizer]
The professor noted that BRICS countries had made progress since their signing of the memorandum of understanding on science, technology and innovation cooperation in July 2014. Member nations have collaborated on research and development in critical sectors while strengthening digital infrastructure to reduce reliance on foreign technologies.
Cassiolato cited China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System as a successful example of achieving digital sovereignty.
Looking ahead, he proposed a three-pronged cooperation framework integrating national innovation systems. The first pillar focuses on eco-efficiency through low-impact technologies. For example, he noted that China's AI-powered smart grids had contributed to a noticeable reduction in coal consumption.
The second emphasizes socio-environmental justice, linking poverty reduction with environmental protection. Brazil's Amazon bio-database, which runs on Chinese cloud technology, exemplifies this approach.
The third pillar centers on respecting diversity by incorporating local and traditional knowledge into innovation processes, exemplified by India's digital agriculture programs combining AI with indigenous farming methods.
"The cooperation should be anchored in analytical and normative frameworks capable of taking into account BRICS' contexts, as well as their intrinsic opportunities, and capturing the full specificities of BRICS' territorial production and innovation systems," Cassiolato said.
The BRICS Seminar on Governance and Cultural Exchange Forum was co-hosted by the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, China International Communications Group and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.
