G20 AND Artificial Intelligence

Understand what the G20 is and what Brasil's responsibilities are

Until November 30, 2024, Brasil holds the presidency of the G20, a group that brings together the world's largest economies - 19 countries, plus the African Union and the European Union.

Throughout this period, Brasil will be responsible for coordinating the G20 and organizing technical meetings, ministerial conferences and the next summit of heads of State, which will happen on November 18 and 19, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro.

We have produced this e-book with the aim of objectively organizing the main information about the G20 and the Brazilian presidency this year, in order to make the content more accessible.

In the e-book you can find information on what the G20 is, its backgroun, member countries, how it works, how the Finance and Sherpas Tracks are structured, the G20 Social and the responsibilities and priorities of the Brazilian presidency, based on the slogan "building a more just world and a sustainable planet".

The e-book is available for download in three languages: Spanish, English and Portuguese. Check it out.

Brazil will host the G20 in 2024 and one of the focuses of the Digital Economy Working Group is “Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development and Reduction of Inequality”, to address the social and political impacts of the advancement of digital technologies.

The G20 Side Event on this topic will discuss challenges arising from the uneven global distribution of AI assets and infrastructure and potential solutions to equip governments and relevant stakeholders, including the private sector and civil society, with the capabilities and tools necessary to face such challenges. . . .

TSUKUBA, IBARAKI PREF. – Ministers from the Group of 20 major economies Saturday kicked off two days of meetings on trade and the digital economy, during which they agreed on guiding principles for using artificial intelligence. They also faced another round of discussions likely to highlight divisions over trade issues such as reform of the World Trade Organization.

The ministers agreed on the AI principles, which are created based on those adopted last month by the 36-member OECD and an additional six countries.

The G20 guidelines call for users and developers of AI to be fair and accountable, with transparent decision-making processes and to respect the rule of law and values including privacy, equality, diversity and internationally recognized labor rights.

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The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will take place on 9th-10th September 2023 in New Delhi. The Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. A G20 Leaders’ Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating Leaders’ commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. 

We acknowledge that affordable and high-quality digital connectivity is essential for digital inclusion and digital transformation, while a resilient, safe and secure online environment is necessary to enhance confidence and trust in the digital economy. We recognize the importance of policies to create an enabling, inclusive, open, fair and non-discriminatory digital economy that fosters the application of new technologies, allows businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive, and protects and empowers consumers, while addressing the challenges, related to digital divides, privacy, data protection, intellectual property rights, and online safety. We acknowledge the importance to counter disinformation campaigns, cyber threats, online abuse, and ensuring security in connectivity infrastructure. We remain committed to further enable data free flow with trust and promote cross-border data flows. We will advance a more inclusive, human-centric, empowering, and sustainable digital transformation. We also reaffirm the role of data for development, economic growth and social well-being.

Well aware of the benefits stemming from the responsible use and development of trustworthy human-centered Artificial Intelligence (AI), we will advance the implementation of the G20 AI Principles, while considering the specific needs of MSMEs and start-ups to encourage competition and innovation, as well as diversity and inclusion, and the importance of international cooperation to promote research, development and application of AI. We welcome the G20 Policy Examples on How to Enhance the Adoption of AI by MSMEs and Start-ups.

We acknowledge the importance of data free flow with trust and cross-border data flows. We reaffirm the role of data for development. We will continue to work on addressing challenges such as those related to privacy, data protection, security and intellectual property rights, in accordance with the relevant applicable legal frameworks. We will also continue to further common understanding and to work towards identifying commonalities, complementarities and elements of convergence between existing regulatory approaches and instruments enabling data to flow with trust, in order to foster future interoperability. Recognizing the responsibility of digital service providers, we will work in 2022 towards enhancing confidence in the digital environment by improving internet safety and countering online abuse, hate speech, online violence and terrorism while protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. We remain committed to protecting the most vulnerable, and acknowledge the G20 High Level Principles for Children Protection and Empowerment in the Digital Environment, drawn from the OECD Recommendation on Children in the Digital Environment and other relevant tools, such as the ITU 2020 Guidelines on Child Online Protection.

Digital Economy: Connectivity, digital technologies, and policies have played a key role in strengthening our response to the pandemic and facilitating the continuation of economic activity. We take note of the Policy Options to Support Digitalization of Business Models during COVID-19. We acknowledge that universal, secure, and affordable connectivity, is a fundamental enabler for the digital economy as well as a catalyst for inclusive growth, innovation and sustainable development. We acknowledge the importance of data free flow with trust and cross-border data flows. We reaffirm the role of data for development. We support fostering an open, fair, and non-discriminatory environment, and protecting and empowering consumers, while addressing the challenges related to privacy, data protection, intellectual property rights, and security. By continuing to address these challenges, in accordance with relevant applicable legal frameworks, we can further facilitate data free flow and strengthen consumer and business trust. We recognize the importance of working with stakeholders to connect humanity by accelerating global internet penetration and bridging digital divides. We recognize the importance of promoting security in the digital economy and welcome the G20 Examples of Practices Related to Security in the Digital Economy. We will continue to promote multi-stakeholder discussions to advance innovation and a human-centered approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI), taking note of the Examples of National Policies to Advance the G20 AI Principles. We welcome both the G20 Smart Mobility Practices, as a contribution to the well-being and resilience of smart cities and communities, and the G20 Roadmap toward a Common Framework for Measuring the Digital Economy.

To further promote innovation in the digital economy, we support the sharing of good practices on effective policy and regulatory approaches and frameworks that are innovative as well as agile, flexible, and adapted to the digital era, including through the use of regulatory sandboxes. The responsible development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a driving force to help advance the SDGs and to realize a sustainable and inclusive society. To foster public trust and confidence in AI technologies and fully realize their potential, we commit to a human-centered approach to AI, and welcome the non-binding G20 AI Principles, drawn from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Recommendation on AI. Further, we recognize the growing importance of promoting security in the digital economy and of addressing security gaps and vulnerabilities. We affirm the importance of protection of intellectual property. Along with the rapid expansion of emerging technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT), the value of an ongoing discussion on security in the digital economy is growing. We, as G20 members, affirm the need to further work on these urgent challenges. We reaffirm the importance of bridging the digital divide and fostering the adoption of digitalization among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and all individuals, particularly vulnerable groups and also encourage networking and experience-sharing among cities for the development of smart cities.