As part of expanding international scientific cooperation, a delegation from the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus t ook part in the preliminary meeting of the BRICS Forum of Academies of Sciences. The key topic of the event was the use of artificial intelligence as a tool for achieving sustainable development and strengthening the position of countries in the Global South. Representatives of academies of sciences and scientific organizations from Belarus, Russia, India, Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, and Vietnam participated in the event.

The Belarusian scientific school was represented at the discussion by:

• Alexey Trukhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus;
• Tatyana Pranik, Head of the Main Directorate for International Scientific and Technical Cooperation of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus;
• Sergey Kasanin, Deputy Director General for Research, Unite Institute for Informatics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus;
• Vasily Kovalev, Leading Researcher, Laboratory for Biomedical Image Analysis, Unite Institute for Informatics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

The BRICS countries account for nearly half the planet's population and over 40% of the global economy in purchasing power parity terms. However, these countries also face common challenges: climate change, food insecurity, and public health. Science and technology are recognized as key to addressing these issues.

In recent years, the BRICS countries have become significant drivers of global technological progress, investing heavily in digital infrastructure and AI-based innovation. The potential of artificial intelligence to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals is enormous. AI technologies have the potential to revolutionize healthcare (diagnostics, drug development), agriculture (crop forecasting, precision farming), climate action (change modeling), and disaster risk reduction.

At the same time, there is a risk of widening the digital divide. Research shows that global AI research and innovation is concentrated in a limited number of countries and large tech corporations. This highlights the urgent need for greater cooperation among countries in the Global South.

Among the priority areas for the application of artificial intelligence in the BRICS countries, Vasily Alekseevich Kovalev focused on medical technologies in his speech: "The development of effective AI solutions for the automation of computerized disease diagnostics is a priority for the BRICS academies of sciences." The expert also emphasized the importance of responsible and safe development of AI technologies: "The security of AI systems should be at the forefront of the developers of applied solutions, which are also being developed by scientists at the Joint Institute for Informatics and Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus."

With their combined scientific potential and diverse datasets, the BRICS countries are in a unique position to jointly develop inclusive AI solutions. Discussions at the forum focused on the need to create collaborative approaches that take into account the local context.