BRICS Supreme Audit Institutions Discuss the Use of Artificial Intelligence

On April 11, the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) hosted a virtual technical meeting with Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of BRICS countries. The objective was to discuss and consolidate the document titled “Technical Contributions on the Role of Supreme Audit Institutions and the Use of Artificial Intelligence”.

This document is being jointly developed by the participating SAIs and will be officially submitted on April 24, during the BRICS Sherpas meeting in Rio de Janeiro. For the first time, representatives of civil society and autonomous entities – such as courts of accounts – have been invited to provide technical input to the discussion on the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence.

At the opening of the meeting, Hugo Chudyson, the TCU's Head of the Department of International Relations (Serint), highlighted the importance of cooperation among the SAIs from BRICS member countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates. “As institutions from large and diverse countries, we face common challenges. This cooperation offers an opportunity to share best practices and seek joint solutions,” he stated.

Chudyson also acknowledged the dedication of partner institutions in drafting the document. He emphasized that, despite the short deadline for submitting contributions, the technical engagement was fundamental to the quality of the work.

During the meeting, representatives from the participating SAIs discussed and voted on the consolidated version of the document, paragraph by paragraph. The TCU team led the reading and facilitated the technical debate. The updated version, incorporating the agreed changes, will be shared with all participants prior to its official submission to the BRICS presidency.

Next steps

  

The development of the document aligns with the BRICS SAI 2025-2026 Work Plan, which seeks to enhance the inclusive and responsible governance of artificial intelligence – one of the key priorities of Brazil's BRICS presidency.

The program also includes:

• May 2025: presentation of the final document for potential inclusion in the BRICS Leaders' Declaration;
• June 2025: virtual technical seminar on energy transition, hosted by the TCU;
•  Second half of 2025: seminars on high-risk infrastructure audits (SAI South Africa) and on digital transformation and Big Data analysis (SAI United Arab Emirates).

Established in 2016, the BRICS SAIs’ mission is to enhance cooperation among the SAIs of member countries, develop innovative auditing methodologies, and support collaborative initiatives for the efficient oversight of public resources. In 2024, the relevance of these institutions was recognized in a dedicated paragraph of the Kazan Declaration, the final document of the BRICS Summit.