G20 seals pact on new emerging technologies principles

Chapel Hill (North Carolina), Sep 3 (IANS) The Group of 20 nations has reached consensus on a new set of principles governing emerging technologies, overcoming political differences to endorse policies aimed at accelerating innovation, investment and economic growth.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House science advisor Michael Kratsios announced the agreement at the conclusion of the two-day G20 Innovation Ministerial in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

“We have reached consensus on our G20 innovation ministerial statement,” Lutnick said. “That means we had all 20 countries agree, and it was an enormous amount of work.”

The agreement includes the Carolina principles for emerging technology, which call on governments to support research, strengthen pathways for commercialising new discoveries and encourage the trusted adoption of technology.

Kratsios said the principles could be applied to new technologies across different political and legal systems.

“The Carolina principles, which we all agree to here at the G20, reflect the common features of the innovation lifecycle across all emerging technologies,” he said.

“These principles can be applied to any novel development and within any legal system and will empower all G20 countries to build policy frameworks that increase productivity, strength and national competitiveness and improve quality of life.”

The principles call for governments to invest in foundational research, strengthen development and commercialisation pathways and promote the adoption of emerging technologies. They recommend using existing sector-specific rules where appropriate and introducing new regulations only for novel considerations.

Kratsios cited commercial drone operations as an example of a technology that required fresh regulations because existing aviation rules were not designed to handle large-scale drone delivery.

The minister also discussed the adoption of artificial intelligence in government services and preparations for technology-driven changes in the workforce.

“Today in particular, artificial intelligence is poised to expand economic opportunity and improve the lives of our fellow citizens if we navigate this moment effectively and responsibly,” Kratsios said.

He said the US message to the other G20 members was that Washington wanted stronger innovation and economic growth across the world.

“Technology lets us do more with less, extending human capabilities and using our resources more efficiently,” he said.

Lutnick acknowledged that political considerations had complicated negotiations over the final statement.

“When you bring global leaders together, there’s always lots of politics,” he said. “People sometimes like to stay out of consensus to make a point as opposed to the point of the consensus.”

He said the discussions remained focused on artificial intelligence, technological standards and opportunities presented by innovation.

“What ended up happening is they addressed the topics on the table rather than letting politics overwhelm things and someone standing outside just so they can make a point,” Lutnick said.

The United States invited several leading technology executives and researchers to address the ministerial. Participants heard from Nvidia, SpaceX, Meta, Google DeepMind and other companies and institutions involved in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

The G20 brings together 19 countries, the European Union and the African Union. Its members account for the bulk of global economic output, international trade and the world’s population.

–IANS

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