While the world's superpowers race for dominance in compute power and large-scale models, Brazil is playing a different game. As a key member of the BRICS, Latin America's largest economy is pioneering a high-stakes national experiment: a "Governance-First" model for artificial intelligence. Instead of building its strategy on a foundation of silicon, Brazil is building it on law, ethics, and social equity. This is a radical bet that seeks to create a new "Southern" template for AI, one that prioritizes human rights over the raw pursuit of innovation. This article analyzes the three core tensions at the heart of Brazil's gambit: a profound clash between its legal ambitions and its infrastructural reality; a deep gap between its social equity goals and its on-the-ground market failures; and the resulting strategic imperative to find new multilateral alliances to ensure its model survives.

SHENZHEN, November 1, 2025 – The Institute for Digital Economy & Artificial Systems (IDEAS) took part in the 2025 International Conference on Innovation and Knowledge Management (iKM2025), engaging with global thought leaders to contribute to the dialogue on technology and innovation. Central to this engagement was AI & Innovation (AI²), the flagship international journal operated by IDEAS, which was featured as an official supporting academic journal for the conference.

Amid global healthcare challenges like aging populations and resource shortages, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a critical force for change. China is strategically integrating medical AI into its national public health and digital economy frameworks, moving beyond solving isolated hospital inefficiencies. Supported by robust policy, vast data, and a dynamic industrial ecosystem, this approach is creating a new paradigm for digital health. It aims to provide a cooperative model for BRICS nations and the Global South, fostering shared innovation and promoting global health equity.