Ministers from G20 nations have backed the U.S.-led "Carolina Principles," a nonbinding framework supporting flexible regulation and faster adoption of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, according to a consensus statement they released Wednesday.
The agreement was reached after a two-day event in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, hosted by the U.S. Commerce Department and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The consensus includes China, Russia and the European Union, a rare case of major economies agreeing on AI framework as they compete in the sector.
The Carolina Principles focus on three main areas: research, commercialization and adoption.
For research, they call for public-private cooperation, simpler application, reporting and grant management processes for government R&D funding, and universities to work with companies to turn research into products. For commercialization, the principles support flexible regulatory sandboxes and experimental exemptions, as well as faster permitting and approval processes for pilot projects. As for adoption, they call for using existing sector-specific rules for emerging technologies and creating new rules only for issues that existing laws do not adequately cover.
The broader G20 ministerial statement covers six areas: pro-innovation policies, technology-led economic growth, technical workforce development, intellectual property rules for AI, AI standards, and investment in manufacturing and supply chains.
“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.”
The Carolina Principles will reportedly be presented for formal adoption by G20 leaders at their summit in December, which President Donald Trump will host at his Doral resort in Florida.
Several tech executives at the event also supported fewer AI rules. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said rules should focus on "practical and actual harm" rather than "theoretical and hypothetical harm," while SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized European Union tech rules for slowing innovation.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, on the other hand, last week said the world is not ready for the AI transition and called for national and international systems to manage its risks.