Geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, new tech changing manner in which countries interact: SC judge

24/08/2026

NEW DELHI, Aug 23: Supreme Court judge Vikram Nath on Sunday said geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty and new technologies are altering the way countries interact with one another.
Speaking at the 11th BRICS+ Legal Forum here, the seniormost judge of the apex court pointed toward the evolving challenges before the world and said artificial intelligence is no longer a distant technological possibility, it is already becoming part of the economic and social life, and its uses will only expand.
"Geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty and new technologies are altering the way countries interact with one another. At the same time, there is a growing conversation about whether the institutions that have guided international relations for decades adequately reflect the world as it exists today," Justice Nath said.
He said if the international order is changing, a more basic question must also be asked -- what will enable countries to continue working together despite their differences.
"I believe the answer lies in part in the rule of law. It gives cooperation a degree of certainty and provides a common framework within which differences can be addressed. It tells us that commitments matter, that institutions must be accountable, and that disagreements must have fair and credible means of resolution. In that sense, the legal dimension of BRICS is not separate from its economic or political cooperation," he said.
The gathering at the function organised by the Bar Association of India included representatives from BRICS nations and lawyers from India in large numbers.
"Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant technological possibility, it is already becoming part of the economic and social life, and its uses will only expand. The BRICS discussions on AI have recognised the need for governance that promotes innovation, while also addressing issues of safety, inclusiveness, human rights and equitable access," Justice Nath said.
He highlighted that for the legal profession, however, the interesting question is not simply how AI should be regulated, it is how law should respond to a technology that develops much faster than traditional regulatory processes.
"Technology is often designed to optimise speed, law serves a different purpose. It must leave room for scrutiny, reasons and accountability. Even when the technology around it is moving very quickly, we have to address that artificial intelligence is not independent of human judgment," he said.
Justice Nath said it is designed by human beings and trained on data generated by human societies, those societies contain their own assumptions and inequalities, and technological systems can reproduce those patterns, if they are not carefully examined.
"That is why its governance cannot be left exclusively to those who build the technology, it requires lawyers, judges, policymakers, social activists, scientists and others to participate in the conversation. The questions that law has traditionally asked -- questions of responsibility, fairness, equality and remedy -- remain relevant even when the mechanism through which a decision is made becomes increasingly complex," he noted.
The top court judge told the representatives of the different nations that their legal systems will remain different and that is how it should be as what matters is that a better understanding is developed of one another, so that the systems can work together more effectively.
"Particularly, as we confront new questions of technology, commerce and dispute resolution -- that ultimately is what building a legal architecture for the 21st century should mean," he said, adding that it is a privilege for India to host a gathering that brings together members of the legal profession from jurisdictions with very different histories and legal traditions.
Justice Nath said India's own experience has been one of living with the diversity of languages, cultures, traditions and ideas, without believing that it has to prevent people from finding a common ground.
"Perhaps that is one reason why the idea of BRICS is familiar from an Indian perspective, the countries represented here are not identical in their political systems, economic structures or legal traditions. What brings them together is not sameness, but the recognition that there are areas in which cooperation is both possible and necessary...," he said.
Justice Nath further said it has become a continuing conversation between legal communities that are trying to understand how their respective systems can respond to a world which is changing rather quickly and perhaps that is what makes the idea of a BRICS-plus legal architecture for the 21st century worth reflecting upon.
"Not simply how to make law more modern, but how to make our legal systems capable of responding to a world that is itself changing, it is worth remembering how different the original BRIC conversation was. When the term BRIC was coined, it was principally a way of describing the growing economic importance of Brazil, Russia, India and China. The group has considerably expanded and evolved since its first summit in 2009," he said.
Justice Nath added that what began primarily as an economic conversation has developed into a much broader engagement, involving questions of development, technology, sustainability, alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms and institutional cooperation, and there is a certain inevitability to that evolution.

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