India's Advocacy for Equitable AI Access at 2025 SCO Summit

Historical Context: India, the SCO, and Multilateral AI Cooperation

India joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as a full member in 2017, having previously engaged through observer and dialogue partner roles. Traditionally, India has viewed the SCO as a crucial platform to balance regional security, promote strategic autonomy, and engage constructively with Central Asia, China, and Russia without undermining its independent foreign policy or jeopardizing ties with Western partners^5,6.

Over recent years, India’s posture within the SCO has grown more assertive, especially as digital and technological topics have moved to the forefront of the group’s agenda. The last two years saw the escalation of digital governance, “cyber sovereignty,” cross-border data management, and, centrally, artificial intelligence as topics in SCO working groups, ministerial meetings, and expert fora⁷. The development aligns tightly with India's broader national ambitions outlined in the "IndiaAI Mission," NITI Aayog’s “National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence,” and policies promoting digital public infrastructure, data sovereignty, and ethical AI frameworks^8,3.

India’s position reflects a complex balancing act: actively engaging in regional technology frameworks (to avoid being left out of critical norm- and standard-setting) while advancing the principle of "equal rights" to technology development and access, a motif that resonates with India’s G20 and Global South leadership on digital inclusion and techno-sovereignty^9,10.

India’s Equitable AI Access Stance at the 2025 SCO Summit

Key Themes in India’s Diplomatic Advocacy

“All countries have equal rights to develop and use artificial intelligence.” This phrase, used repeatedly by Indian officials at the SCO Summit, distilled New Delhi’s primary diplomatic message: technology, especially transformative systems like AI, must not become a new axis of global inequality. Instead, AI development opportunities and governance decisions must be shared equitably, avoiding a scenario where a handful of advanced economies dominate resources, rule-setting, and access^11,10.

India’s position was communicated through Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plenary speech and subsequent negotiating statements by the Indian delegation. These interventions emphasized not only ethical use and risk management but also developmental equity, capacity-building, and sovereign rights over digital and data resources, extending India’s G20 “AI for All” ethos to a regional multilateral setting^9,12.

Emphases in Indian Statements:

• Collective and democratic global AI governance, countering unilateral or bloc-driven frameworks;
• Bridging digital divides—offering platforms for skills, talent, and computational access for all;
• Inclusive innovation: rooting AI advances in local, linguistic, and cultural contexts rather than imposing models built for/to the interests of a few economies;
• Prevention of bias and risk, advocating shared standards for transparency, fairness, and accountability;
• Welcoming UN General Assembly resolutions that include capacity-building and equitable access as central tenets of responsible AI adoption¹⁰.

India’s statements both at the 2025 SCO summit and in other recent global forums (e.g., the 2025 AI Action Summit in Paris) reflect this continuity, with strong messaging against the risk that “the house rules of a few countries should not be imposed upon others” and a clear call for shared global standards framed by the UN system, not exclusive clubs or narrow alliances⁹.

India’s Speech: Detailed Highlights

Prime Minister Modi’s plenary address referenced:

• AI’s transformative potential in “reshaping polity, economy, security and even society”;
• The need for collective efforts to establish governance frameworks that both harness benefits and address algorithmic, ethical, and societal risks;
• The importance of upholding the “equal rights” principle in developing and deploying AI, drawing directly on the language of the UN General Assembly resolution from March 2024 and July 2025;
• Ongoing Indian investment in AI public infrastructure and skills through the IndiaAI Mission, positioning India as a ready partner for both knowledge and technology exchange;
• A reform-oriented approach to digital and cyber threats, with new regional centers being established for cybersecurity, organized crime prevention, digital innovation, and AI;
• India’s embrace of ethical, unbiased, and contextually-rooted AI for public good across “agriculture, health, education, and governance,” reiterating the “AI for All” mantra;
• India’s clear support for advancing the implementation of the “Roadmap for SCO AI Cooperation” agreed at the previous ministerial in Chengdu in June 2025;
• Rejection of any new forms of digital colonialism or technological exclusion, and a subtle caution about exclusive or non-transparent multilateral initiatives^10,9.

The Tianjin Declaration: Implementation Roadmap and Regional Mechanisms

Core Principles Enshrined

The Tianjin Declaration, signed at the conclusion of the summit, represents the most explicit consensus to date among SCO members on AI cooperation and governance. It:

• Adopts the language of “equal rights for all nations in AI development and use,” anchoring the agreement within both UN and regional commitments^13,14;
• Champions “cyber sovereignty,” but links it explicitly to commitments for interoperability and digital inclusion;
• Endorses the March and July 2025 UN General Assembly resolutions on responsible, inclusive, and development-oriented AI, further embedding the regional effort in a global framework;
• Reiterates the principle that “all countries have equal rights to develop and use AI,” operationalizing language from earlier Indian and Central Asian advocacy^10,14;
• Backs the “Roadmap for the Implementation of the Programme of Cooperation among SCO Member States in the Field of AI” (adopted at the ministerial meeting in Chengdu, June 2025).

Key Mechanisms and Action Points

• Creation of multiple independent centers for AI R&D: Kazakhstan (Alem.AI), Tajikistan (regional Dushanbe AI center), and open invitation to all member states to host AI innovation hubs;
• Cooperative engagement on open-source and standards: Technology and code sharing, joint projects, and AI training across linguistic and technical domains;
• SCO Future Technologies Programme: Expanded to include AI, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and biotech, facilitating skills and commercialization pathways;
• Emphasis on “AI for Good”: Framing AI not as a tool of domination but as a lever for public welfare and sustainable growth;
• AI risk prevention and fairness: Principles of security, transparency, inclusivity, trustworthiness, reliability, accountability agreed as shared norms; call for independent regional “AI Safety Board” structures modelled on international best practices;
• Strengthened digital economy and e-commerce cooperation: Formal adoption of e-commerce programs to foster digital trade and support AI-powered businesses;
• Endorsement of UN-centric governance: Calls for inclusive and fair participation of all members (including Global South perspectives) in shaping future global AI governance norms through the UN system;
• Regional capacity-building initiatives: Skills development goals cited by Kazakhstan (up to 10,000 AI specialists per annum); wide-scale digital literacy and AI curricula, especially targeting under-resourced areas, with India offering digital public infrastructure templates and standards¹⁵.

India’s Stance in Detail: Diplomatic Statements and Wider Advocacy

At the Summit Plenary

Prime Minister Modi’s plenary speech—widely covered by Indian and international media—set out a nuanced but persistent call for democratization of access to AI resources and governance platforms:

• On Strategic Evolution: “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.”
• On AI’s Societal Impact: “AI is already reshaping our polity, economy, security and even society... We must establish governance and standards that uphold our shared values, address risks, and build trust. But governance is not just about managing risks and rivalries. It is also about promoting innovation and deploying it for the global good.”^9,10
• On Equity and Inclusion: “All countries have equal rights to develop and use artificial intelligence. Let us democratize technology and create people-centric applications. We must also ensure that technology is rooted in local ecosystems for it to be effective and useful."
• On International Governance: “There is a need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards that uphold our shared values, address risks, and build trust. But governance is not just about managing risks and rivalries. It is also about promoting innovation and deploying it for the global good.”
• On India’s Model: “India has built a digital public infrastructure for over 1.4 billion people at a very low cost... This vision is the foundation of India’s national AI mission... We help one of the world’s largest AI talent pools. India is developing its own large language model considering our diversity. We also have a unique public-private partnership model for pooling resources.”⁹

On Capacity-Building

India signaled strong support for AI talent development and skills transfer:

• Offering to participate in joint research, regional skills programs, and digital infrastructure projects through its IndiaAI Mission;
• Endorsing and encouraging SCO digital talent exchanges and collaboration with new centers in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and other SCO economies;
• Reiterating willingness to share India’s regulatory templates for responsible AI, including data privacy architectures grounded in Indian law, and “Bhashini”—an AI-powered language platform for cross-border digital inclusion in the region^15,16.

On Ethical and Responsible AI

Drawing from India’s domestic policy framework and previous international interventions (including at the 2025 Paris AI Action Summit), Indian officials stressed:

• Need for bias-free, explainable, and human-centric AI systems;
• The imperative for AI to serve the “public good,” shaped contextually by cultural, linguistic, and developmental specificities;
• Encouragement of multistakeholder consultations (industry, academia, civil society) in setting regulatory norms for algorithmic accountability;
• Call for mandatory inclusion of Global South states in priority governance fora, including the new UN AI Scientific Panel and global digital compact dialogues^9,17.

Reactions from Other SCO Member Countries

China

China, the summit host and principal driver of several pan-regional AI initiatives, called for “strengthening artificial intelligence cooperation” while emphasizing a vision of “AI for Good", open-source platforms, and coordinated risk reduction. Chinese President Xi Jinping explicitly rejected “Cold War mentality”; instead, he urged SCO states to pursue collective progress not stratified by technological advantage or strategic bloc politics¹⁸.

China’s leading proposal at the Summit was to institutionalize the World AI Cooperation Organization (WICO) in Shanghai—a move designed to supplement global AI norm-setting by the UN. While China extended an invitation for broad participation, India notably expressed “cautious support,” declining full membership but engaging with WICO as an observer, focusing instead on the UN-centric path and bilateral pilot projects¹⁴.

China also signaled open data and technology sharing (particularly in AI applications for sustainable development), explicitly referencing their own domestic open-source AI growth model as a template for collaboration. Nonetheless, China's preference for regional and "cyber sovereignty"-linked governance frameworks—whether or not aligned with strict global standards—remains a distinct, if overlapping, vision.

Central Asian Republics

Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan enthusiastically welcomed the focus on regional capacity-building, skills transfer, and independent AI development centers. Kazakhstan’s Alem.AI initiative, supported by its government, aims to train thousands of AI specialists annually and to serve as a talent and research hub for the entire region. Tajikistan moved forward with the establishment of a Regional Artificial Intelligence Centre in Dushanbe, envisioned as both a knowledge and policy nexus, aligned with the July 2025 UN resolution that explicitly references Central Asian development via AI^16,19.

These states consistently aligned with India’s call for equitable access and for avoiding new digital divides. Their representatives emphasized the transformative role AI could play in agriculture, public health, and education—provided pooling of resources, joint research protocols, and “equitable participation in global norm-setting” are preserved. Central Asia also actively supported references to the SDGs in AI policy design and embraced UN oversight.

Russia

Russia, long an advocate of technological sovereignty and digital multipolarity, supported the principle of “equal rights” and “sovereign development” in AI. However, it also stressed the necessity for robust state control of data flows and algorithmic infrastructure, as well as strong cybersecurity autonomy within SCO frameworks. While generally positive towards Indian proposals on inclusion and risk mitigation, Russia aligned more closely with China’s preference for regional (as opposed to strictly UN-led) governance, though without overt opposition to Indian priorities^20,6.

Iran and Belarus

Both nations—recent entrants to the SCO—emphasized the developmental promise of AI, the urgency of closing technology gaps with the Global North, and the right of all states to develop independent digital infrastructure and participate in norm-setting. Iran, in particular, referenced the “need for international frameworks that protect against the weaponization of AI or concentration of digital power,” and called for mutually beneficial tech and knowledge transfers among SCO and Global South nations²¹.

Pakistan

Pakistan’s statements focused on AI’s use in improving government and societal services, expressing alignment with the principles of equity, transparency, and trust, but did not diverge markedly from the group consensus as shaped by the interplay of Indian, Central Asian, and Chinese priorities.

Nuances and Tensions

Although unanimity was achieved in headline commitments, secondary debates surfaced in:

• Varying interpretations of “digital sovereignty”: Some members leaned towards sovereign regulatory borders, others towards interoperability and open systems.
• The division between hard and soft law: Central Asians favor fast implementation of training and regulatory pilots, while China and Russia sometimes prefer high-level principles and gradual codification.
• Views on WICO: China committed to “popularizing” WICO internationally as a multilateral body, while several members including India and Russia expressed willingness for engagement, but no hurry to cede leadership or join as full members.

Proposed AI Frameworks, Agreements, and Institutional Innovations

The “Roadmap for the Implementation of the Programme of Cooperation among SCO Member States in the Field of AI”

This roadmap, formulated in Chengdu in June 2025 and adopted in Tianjin, operationalizes the Declaration’s principles into actionable priorities:

• Establishment of AI development centers with clear mandates for education, independent research, and technology transfer;
• Promotion of “AI for Good” strategies targeting sustainable agriculture, healthcare, disaster mitigation, and urban management;
• Support for the development and deployment of regional large language models, digital trust frameworks, and open standards;
• Engagement of the private sector, academia, and civil society in regional and international AI policy consultations.

The World AI Cooperation Organization (WICO)

China’s WICO, having been formally launched in July 2025, proposes to serve as a platform for standards harmonization, best practice sharing, and talent exchanges throughout the SCO space and, potentially, for broader Global South participation. Acceptance by other members is mixed: most see WICO as a useful supplementary forum, but India has kept participation at the level of dialogue and pilot engagement, citing a preference for UN-linked, “open and inclusive” global AI governance mechanisms¹⁴.

Central Asian AI Centers

Alem.AI (Kazakhstan) and the Dushanbe AI Center (Tajikistan) are regional hubs for skills development, research, and policy advisory, backed by SCO institutional support, national governments, and increasingly, cross-border academic and private sector linkages. Kazakhstan’s ambition to train and attract 10,000 AI specialists a year and boost regional exports of AI solutions is directly recognized in the commitments of the Tianjin Declaration, with explicit endorsement by India and Central Asian neighbors^22,15.

Regional e-Commerce and Digital Economy Programs

Beyond AI-specific initiatives, the summit adopted formal statements on digital economic growth, e-commerce facilitation, and digital trade infrastructure, aimed at enabling AI-powered services and startups.

Commitments to UN AI Resolutions

The Tianjin Declaration incorporates, by reference, the July 25 and March 2024 UN General Assembly resolutions on “safe, secure and trustworthy AI” and inclusive capacity-building—linking regional efforts explicitly to Sustainable Development Goals and universal human rights frameworks^17,10.

India’s Position and Broader Asian Perspectives: Continuity, Contrast, and Implications for Global AI Governance

India’s Leadership among Asian Approaches

India’s posture at the Tianjin Summit is consistent with its larger pattern across the G20, Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), the Digital India Mission, and its stewardship of Digital Public Goods. It asserts a distinctive “middle power” diplomacy: mediating between binary blocs, advocating for open digital commons, and foregrounding the Global South’s claims for development, inclusion, and procedural fairness in the international digital order.

Comparison across Asian Models

Asian AI governance approaches are marked by diversity:

• China: Centralized state leadership, digital sovereignty, expansive open-source model development, strategic use of AI for both domestic regulation and export⁴;
• Japan & South Korea: Advanced risk-based regulation, multi-stakeholder forums, and AI legislation moving towards binding “hard law”;
• ASEAN/Southeast Asia: Voluntary governance frameworks, collaborative principle-setting (e.g., ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics); uneven technical readiness across member states⁴;
• India: Balances self-regulation, core constitutional rights, sectoral regulation, and ethical innovation; strong focus on government-enabled open digital infrastructure and public-private partnerships; regulatory direction is consultative and developmental vehicle—rather than purely risk-minimization or self-sovereignty-driven^7,23.

India’s insistence on global-level fair governance, open-source solutions, and “AI for All” roots its approach in post-colonial critiques of “digital colonialism” and situates it, in many respects, as a leader for the pragmatic Global South responses to the global AI governance race²⁴.

Critical Reflections and Challenges

• Implementation: While commitments to independent R&D centers, open-source cooperation, and inclusivity are strong, practical operationalization—especially in resource-constrained regions—depends on sustained investment and political coherence across the diverse SCO membership.
• Interoperability vs. Sovereignty: Friction may persist over the precise boundary between sovereign regulatory discretion and the need for cross-border digital openness, especially as national security and public order are invoked to justify restrictive measures.
• WICO vs. UN-Centric Models: The emergence of WICO stands as both an experiment in “South-South” technology cooperation and a potential rival or complement to UN processes; India’s caution reflects continued anxiety over “bloc-multilateralism” derogating from UN oversight.

AI Risk Prevention and Fairness Principles at the SCO

The AI portion of the Tianjin Declaration is backed by a robust commitment to preventing risks and enhancing fairness, aligning with contemporary global and European approaches but with SCO-specific adaptations:

• Emphasizes security, accountability, reliability, transparency, inclusiveness, trustworthiness and fairness (mirroring both UN and India’s preferred language);
• Calls for the establishment or enhancement of “risk prevention mechanisms” modeled on independent safety boards or multi-stakeholder panels;
• Draws upon Indian, Chinese, and Central Asian domestic efforts to develop or pilot explainable AI, algorithmic audit protocols, and indigenous language large models.

Endorsement of UN AI Resolutions and Broader Multilateral Implications

Both the March 2024 and July 2025 UN General Assembly resolutions on AI are mentioned as foundational to the SCO declaration. Their inclusion signals commitment to:

• Global dialogue on AI governance that is democratic, inclusive, transparent, and especially welcoming to developing countries;
• Establishment of a scientific panel within the UN framework to assess risks and opportunities;
• Bridging the digital divide—ensuring digital and AI innovation does not widen, but rather narrows, global inequalities.

Speakers from India, Central Asia, and the Group of 77 stressed in related UN debates that “full inclusion of developing countries in shaping the future of AI governance” and “robust capacity-building” are non-negotiable priorities²⁵.

Conclusion: Implications and Way Forward

The 2025 SCO Summit, especially through the lens of India’s diplomatic stance, represents a consequential step for equitable AI governance in Eurasia and beyond. India’s advocacy of “equal rights” in AI development resonates strongly across the SCO but also in wider global South, digital, and AI expert debates. By successfully encoding this principle in the Tianjin Declaration and associated mechanisms, the SCO has set a clear precedent for regional technology governance frameworks that align with inclusive global norms.

However, the path forward is complex. Tensions remain around digital sovereignty, pace and depth of implementation, and alignment with UN-centric vs. regional tech-led frameworks. India’s multialignment—simultaneously engaging WICO, UN-based panels, and bilateral reforms—reflects both its diplomatic strengths and the strategic complexity of the new digital order. In practice, success will depend on:

• The expansion and interconnection of independent regional AI development centers;
• Concrete progress on skills, infrastructure, and regulatory transparency;
• Continued open dialogue among SCO members, and proactive bridging of the technology and data divides between the “core” and “periphery” of the grouping;
• Sustained advocacy on behalf of development-oriented, public good AI in global norm-setting platforms, ensuring the “equal rights” principle remains at the heart of future digital governance.

In sum, India has emerged as a principal advocate for shared, fair, and development-focused AI governance at the SCO, shaping not only the regional digital future but also the evolving global architecture of technological cooperation and competition. The consensus achieved—rooted in both pragmatic capability-building and principled inclusion—marks a significant milestone in the search for a more just, secure, and equitable global AI order.

Appendix:
(See following section for references integrated throughout the report, including source key points. All claims, quotations, and data herein are supported with in-text references to the latest summit documents, speeches, news coverage, and analytical research across major international and regional outlets.)

References (28)