The Group of 20 (G20) members have agreed to a set of emerging technology principles that favor flexible, risk-based regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), including relying on existing sector-specific rules rather than creating new requirements.
The agreement came out of a two-day G20 Innovation Ministerial in Chapel Hill, N.C., hosted by the Commerce Department and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
The nations adopted a consensus statement organized around six areas, including innovation policy, public-sector AI adoption, workforce development, intellectual property, technical standards, and supply chains.
Under the newly adopted Carolina Principles for Emerging Technologies, G20 members said governments should apply “existing sector-specific regulatory approaches to emerging technologies, where appropriate,” and focus new regulation on technology considerations those frameworks cannot address.
The principles also call for investment in foundational research and stronger pathways for commercializing emerging technologies.
“In Chapel Hill, G20 countries realized an optimistic vision for the future of emerging technologies, recognizing that flexible policy frameworks crafted to promote innovation will drive economic growth and prosperity,” OSTP Director Michael Kratsios said in a Sept. 2 press release.
“That is the spirit of the Carolina Principles, and that is how we will expand opportunity for Americans and people around the world,” Kratsios said.
The consensus also encourages the trusted adoption and deployment of emerging technologies, including AI, while promoting policies to expand economic opportunity.
On intellectual property (IP), members agreed that existing frameworks should continue to protect creators and rightsholders while preserving opportunities for AI development.
Members also backed greater AI workforce training and technical education, open and transparent standards development, and expanded use of AI to monitor supply-chain risks.
“Achieving consensus in the G20 is no small feat, but the topic of innovation as a driver of growth brought us together for a historic moment of unity,” said Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
“The statement released by the G20 members ministers today gives entrepreneurs the confidence to invest in their ideas, promotes domestic manufacturing, and ensures intellectual property frameworks foster and protect innovation,” Lutnick said.