The G20 Innovation Ministers’ Meeting, which established a common policy framework to ensure that emerging technologies support economic growth and prosperity, concluded in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US.
The two-day meeting was hosted by the US Department of Commerce and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Discussions emphasized the need to develop policies that encourage innovation, use artificial intelligence effectively in public services and equip people with the skills required for new technologies.
Communiqué sets out six policy areas
The joint communiqué issued after the meeting listed principles covering six key areas. These were policy frameworks that support innovation; expanding opportunity and prosperity through technology; developing a skilled technical workforce; intellectual property policies related to artificial intelligence; the relationship between artificial intelligence and standards; and investment in industrial innovation and supply chains.
The ministers also agreed on the “Carolina Principles for Emerging Technologies,” which call for investment in basic research, stronger technology commercialization processes and the adoption and wider deployment of trustworthy technologies.
Two documents adopted on artificial intelligence
The “Artificial Intelligence Prosperity Goals” and the “Artificial Intelligence Prosperity Compact” were adopted to develop the technical workforce and expand private-sector partnerships.
The documents aim to strengthen skills in artificial intelligence and increase cooperation between the public and private sectors.
US officials hold discussions with technology executives
As part of the meeting, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, held discussions with figures including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Google DeepMind co-founder and president Demis Hassabis, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also held discussions with Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang, Anthropic co-founder Tom Brown, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Palantir CEO Alex Karp.
“Innovation is the driving force behind growth”
Lutnick said consensus at the G20 had not been easy to achieve, but the idea that innovation should be the driving force behind growth had brought countries together.
Lutnick said the joint communiqué gave entrepreneurs confidence to invest in their ideas, adding that the text encouraged domestic production and ensured that intellectual property frameworks supported and protected innovation.
Kratsios said G20 countries had put forward an optimistic vision for the future of emerging technologies. He emphasized that flexible policy frameworks would encourage innovation and support economic growth and prosperity.
