Against this backdrop, CNN-News18 spoke with Luciana Santos, Brazil’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, who explained why Brazil sees India not just as a partner, but as a co-shaper of a more inclusive AI order, one where innovation is guided by public interest, democratic governance, and the realities of the Global South, rather than dominated by a few powerful players.

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Brazil often speaks of AI as a tool for social inclusion, yet large parts of the Global South remain data-poor and compute-poor. How does Brazil realistically prevent AI from deepening inequality rather than reducing it?

The risk that artificial intelligence could deepen inequality is real, especially when much of the Global South still faces structural gaps in data availability, computing infrastructure, and skilled human capital. Brazil’s response is to treat AI not just as a technology push, but as a national development project rooted in social inclusion and digital sovereignty.

That approach underpins Brazil’s AI Plan 2024-2028, backed by $23 billion reais (about $4.4 billion) in public investment, with nearly 30 per cent already deployed. The focus is on tackling, at scale, the structural drivers of inequality.

From building cutting-edge, renewable-powered supercomputing infrastructure to developing Portuguese-language AI models trained on Brazil’s own diverse data, the aim is to reduce external dependence and avoid imported biases.

Equally central is large-scale training and reskilling, alongside the strategic use of AI in public services to improve delivery, especially in social sectors.

Brazil believes that inclusion will not come automatically from innovation. It must be designed through public investment, local capacity-building, and democratic governance, so that the gains from AI are shared broadly, not concentrated in a few regions.

India is positioning itself as an AI bridge between the West and the Global South. Does Brazil see India as a genuine partner in shaping alternative AI models, or is the Global South still largely reacting to rules set elsewhere?

Brazil clearly sees India as a strategic partner. As major democracies of the Global South facing similar structural challenges, both countries share a responsibility to steer scientific and technological progress toward the public good.

Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News