Speech by President Lula at the AI Impact Summit 2026

Brazil is delighted to participate in the AI Impact Summit organized by the Indian government.

This is the first time this Summit is held in the Global South. Here, in Delhi, the digital world returns to its birthplace.

It was Indian mathematicians who, more than 2,000 years ago, bequeathed us the binary system that would later structure modern computing.

We have come back here to discuss one of today’s greatest dilemmas.

Our societies are at a crossroads.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is advancing rapidly — while multilateralism is dangerously retreating.

It is in this context that the global governance of artificial intelligence assumes a strategic role.

All high-impact technological innovation is dual in nature, presenting us with ethical and political challenges.

Aviation, the use of the atom, genetic engineering, and the space race are all examples of this phenomenon.

They can multiply collective well-being or cast shadows over the destiny of humanity.

The Digital Revolution and artificial intelligence raise this challenge to unprecedented levels.

They positively impact industrial productivity, public services, medicine, food and energy security, and the way we connect with one another.

Yet they can also foster profoundly harmful practices — such as the use of autonomous weapons; hate speech; misinformation; child pornography; femicide; violence against women and girls; and job insecurity.

False content manipulated by artificial intelligence distorts electoral processes and jeopardizes democracy.

Algorithms are not merely applications of mathematical codes that sustain the digital world: they are embedded within a complex power structure.

Without collective action, artificial intelligence will deepen historical inequalities.

Computing capabilities, infrastructure, and capital remain excessively concentrated in a few countries and corporations.

The data generated by our citizens, companies, and public bodies is being appropriated by a few conglomerates, with no equivalent compensation in terms of value and income generation within our territories.

According to the International Telecommunication Union, 2.6 billion people remain disconnected from the digital world.

And estimates reveal that, by 2030, 660 million people will still lack access to electricity.

When only a few countries control algorithms and digital infrastructure, we are not speaking of innovation — we are speaking of domination.

The regulation of so-called "Big Tech" companies is linked to the imperative of safeguarding human rights in the digital sphere, promoting information integrity, and protecting our countries’ creative industries.

Today, these companies’ prevailing business model depends on the exploitation of personal data, the erosion of privacy rights, and the monetization of sensational content that fuels political radicalization.

The governance regime for these technologies will determine who participates, who is exploited, and who will be left out of this process.

Placing human beings at the center of our decisions is urgent.

The Brazilian Congress is currently debating policies to attract investment in data centers, as well as a regulatory framework for artificial intelligence.

In 2025, Brazil launched its Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Plan [Plano Brasileiro de Inteligência Artificial/PBIA 2024-2028].

This plan reflects our commitment to improving people's quality of life through more agile public services and stronger incentives for job creation and income generation.

This was the paradigm affirmed in the BRICS Leaders' Statement on the Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence that we approved at the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro last year.

It is also Brazil’s stance in dialogues with other partners and forums.

We have joined China's initiative to establish an World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization focused on developing countries.

We engaged in dialogue with the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence created at the G7.

Nevertheless, none of these forums can replace the universality of the United Nations in ensuring multilateral, inclusive, and development-oriented international governance of artificial intelligence.

The Global Digital Compact, which we approved in New York in September 2024 established a crucial mechanism.

The Independent International Scientific Panel on AI is the first global scientific body dedicated to the subject, and in its statements it presents experts, facts, and evidence.

Brazil advocates for governance that recognizes the diversity of national trajectories and ensures that artificial intelligence strengthens democracy, social cohesion, and the sovereignty of nations.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Throughout its history, India has made fruitful and extraordinary contributions to humanity in various fields of knowledge: the arts, science, and philosophy.

This heritage brings to light major ethical dilemmas concerning justice, diversity, inclusion, and resilience.

This heritage (Repetição desnecessária): It is a powerful reference point in the search for answers to the challenges that artificial intelligence poses to contemporary societies.

Thank you very much.