Brics Parliamentary Forum to focus on AI ethics, global challenges: Om Birla

The BRICS Parliamentary Forum is a meeting for parliamentary officials and lawmakers from BRICS member states and partner countries. India is hosting it on October 26-27, after successfully hosting the wider BRICS Summit in September. Its purpose is to discuss shared challenges and strengthen links between national parliaments.

The forum connects directly to the broader BRICS grouping because it follows the leaders’ summit and includes representatives from countries such as China, Iran and Russia. It will have four plenary sessions focused on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. Other sessions will connect parliamentarians and foreign affairs committees.

This parliamentary track gives lawmakers a regular channel for exchanging ideas beyond government-to-government talks. Om Birla said it can build bridges between Indian parliamentarians and counterparts abroad. The forum may therefore support wider BRICS cooperation by developing common approaches, sharing parliamentary practices and improving lawmakers’ capacity to address global issues.

The forum will examine major pressures shaping international politics and economics. These include geopolitical conflicts, trade wars and other global challenges. It will also discuss the proper, human-centric use of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. This matters because lawmakers help shape the rules governing technology, security and economic cooperation.

Its four plenary sessions will focus on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. These themes are intended to frame discussions against geopolitical and geo-economic turbulence. Separate sessions will allow parliamentarians and members of foreign affairs committees to interact more directly. The agenda therefore combines broad global problems with practical parliamentary work.

The forum also covers parliamentary best practices and capacity building for lawmakers. Participants can compare methods and exchange ideas on shared challenges. The meeting follows the September BRICS Summit, where India helped bridge differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict. That background gives the discussions a diplomatic setting.

India will host parliamentary officials from BRICS member states and partner countries at the October 26-27 forum. The article specifically names China, Iran and Russia among the countries whose top parliamentary officials are expected. Their participation gives the meeting a high-level channel for discussing international problems and parliamentary cooperation.

Expected attendees include Iran’s Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, described as a key negotiator for Tehran on the West Asia conflict and the Strait of Hormuz. The Russian Speaker is also expected. China will be represented by a vice chairperson of its National People’s Congress. These officials will join the plenary and interaction sessions.

Om Birla said he will hold bilateral meetings with representatives of BRICS states and partner countries. Other sessions will include members of parliamentary foreign affairs committees from several nations. The article does not provide a complete attendance list, but it indicates broad participation beyond the three specifically identified countries.

The source does not give a current number for how many countries belong to BRICS. It refers to BRICS member states and partner countries, and specifically names China, Iran and Russia among expected participants. Therefore, the article supports describing the grouping as an expanded network of members and partners, but not assigning it a precise present-day size.

India’s parliamentary outreach is clearer. The Lok Sabha has established parliamentary friendship groups with the parliaments of 64 countries and groupings. These include the European Union and the Baltic and Nordic states. The groups create organized links between Indian lawmakers and counterparts abroad.

Birla said these friendship groups have supported bilateral ties. He cited their role when India sent parliamentary delegations around the world last year to explain its reasons for conducting Operation Sindoor. Their broad reach gives India channels for sharing its positions and influencing opinion internationally, even though the article gives no BRICS membership total.

“Human-centric” and ethical AI means designing and using artificial intelligence around human needs and welfare. In practical lawmaking, this can mean asking whether AI is safe, fair, understandable and accountable before allowing it to influence public decisions. Lawmakers would also consider how emerging technologies affect people rather than treating innovation as an end in itself.

The article does not list specific AI rules or safeguards. It does state that the forum will discuss the proper and human-centric use of AI and other technologies. That places ethical judgment and responsible use alongside innovation. Parliamentarians can exchange approaches on how laws should manage new tools and their effects.

The forum’s discussion matters because technology crosses borders, while laws are usually national. Comparing parliamentary practices can help lawmakers understand different approaches and build capacity. The article presents the meeting as a place for cooperation, but it does not claim that participants will adopt a single AI standard or policy.

Closer cooperation could give lawmakers more ways to communicate during periods of conflict, trade tension and wider global instability. Parliamentarians can exchange views even when national positions differ. This matters because the forum is designed around shared challenges, cooperation and parliamentary capacity building rather than a single dispute.

The mechanism is direct contact. Plenary sessions and additional meetings will bring together lawmakers and members of foreign affairs committees. Bilateral meetings will also take place between Om Birla and representatives of BRICS states and partner countries. The article says these exchanges will facilitate ideas on key global challenges and build bridges between parliamentarians.

Such links could support clearer explanations of national positions and better-informed debate. The article gives a concrete precedent: India helped bridge differences between Iran and the UAE during the September BRICS Summit. It does not promise that parliamentary cooperation will resolve conflicts or trade disputes, but it presents dialogue as a way to strengthen cooperation.

National parliaments influence international relations by maintaining sustained contact with foreign lawmakers. They can compare policies, explain national positions and build trust outside formal government negotiations. Parliamentary diplomacy does not replace executive foreign policy, but it creates additional channels for communication and cooperation.

The article identifies several mechanisms. The BRICS Forum will hold plenary and interaction sessions, while foreign affairs committee members from several nations will participate. The Lok Sabha has also formed parliamentary friendship groups with 64 countries and groupings. Birla said these groups have played a key role in bilateral ties.

Their influence can become especially visible during disagreements. Birla cited parliamentary delegations sent around the world last year to explain India’s reasons for conducting Operation Sindoor. He said such groups highlight changes in India and influence opinion internationally. The article therefore presents parliaments as relationship-builders that complement government diplomacy through regular exchanges, public explanations and institutional links.