At Tianjing Summit, India other SCO member countries commit to collaborate on AI

The Tianjin Declaration of the SCO Council of Heads of States, which was signed and adopted at the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit today, outlines commitments among member states on Artificial Intelligence, among other areas. The SCO grouping has 10 member states, two observer states, and 14 dialogue partners.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the plenary session of the SCO Summit today , flagged emerging threats, including cyber-terrorism, stressing that regional security strategies must evolve to meet new challenges.

"It is a matter of great satisfaction that the SCO is evolving with time. Four new centres are being established to address contemporary challenges such as organized crime, drug trafficking, and cybersecurity. We welcome this reform-oriented approach," the Prime Minister said.

Earlier this year PM Modi in his opening address at the AI Action summit in Paris, which he co-chaired, touched upon the positive potential of AI and cautioned about its biases.

Pointing out that AI is already re-shaping polity, economy, security and even society, Prime Minister Modi stressed on the need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards, that uphold shared values, address risks, and build trust.

India is rapidly developing a robust AI computing and semiconductor infrastructure to support its expanding digital economy. With the approval of the IndiaAI Mission in 2024, the government allocated Rs 10,300 crore over five years to strengthen AI capabilities

The Tianjin Declaration building on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Strengthening International Cooperation in the Field of Artificial Intelligence Capacity Building, emphasised that "all countries have equal rights to develop and use artificial intelligence."

The SCO member countries, which includes India, expressed their readiness to work together to prevent risks in order to continuously improve the security, accountability, reliability, transparency, inclusiveness, trustworthiness and fairness of artificial intelligence technologies for the benefit of all humanity. In this regard, they advocated for the implementation of the Roadmap for the Implementation of the SCO Member States' Cooperation Programme on Artificial Intelligence Development (Chengdu, 12 June 2025).

SCO Member states welcomed the UN General Assembly Resolution, "The role of artificial intelligence in creating new opportunities for sustainable development in Central Asia" of July 25, 2025, which notes the initiative to establish a Regional Artificial Intelligence Centre in Dushanbe.

SCO Member countries noted the proposals to establish mechanisms for cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as on advanced and breakthrough technologies of the SCO.

Chinese President Xi Jinping had also in his keynote speech at the Tianjing summit proposed that SCO member states boost cooperation in a wide range of areas including energy, infrastructure, digital economy, science and tech innovation and artificial intelligence.

Notably, a humanoid AI robot, Xiao He was deployed to assist media personnel and summit attendees with various tasks at the Tianjin Summit. Xiao He's presence at the SCO Summit garnered significant attention, with the robot's humanoid design and advanced capabilities sparking interest and admiration.

Meanwhile, prior to his China visit , PM Modi was in Tokyo for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit in which one of the key outcomes was the launch of the Japan-India Artificial Intelligence Initiative to strengthen bilateral cooperation in AI technologies.

The initiative aims to enhance collaboration on large language models, data centres and AI governance and is expected to drive innovation and research between the two countries.

"Cooperation in the area of High Technology is a priority for both of us. In this context, Digital Partnership 2.0 and AI cooperation initiatives are being undertaken," PM Modi said in Tokyo.

PM Modi also invited Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to India's AI Impact Summit, scheduled for February 2026.

"We are living in the age of Artificial Intelligence, and both leaders recognised that AI is a revolutionary technology poised to transform our society and economies. The initiative will strengthen collaboration between India and Japan on AI," Foreign Secretary Misri said in a media briefing about the PM's visit to Japan.

Last month during the BRICS outreach summit in Brazil, PM Modi called for ensuring responsible governance of Artificial Intelligence.

"In the 21st century, the progress and well-being of people largely depends on technology, especially Artificial Intelligence. On one hand, AI can greatly improve everyday life; while on the other hand, it also raises concerns about risks, ethics, and bias," PM Modi had said.

The Prime Minister said that India's approach and policy on this topic are clear and that it sees AI as a medium to enhance human values and potential. "Working on the mantra of 'AI for All', today we're widely and actively using AI in sectors like agriculture, health, education, governance in India," the Prime Minister elucidated. (ANI)