G20 to Combat Disinformation and Set AI Guidelines

G20 agrees to work together to combat disinformation and develop AI guidelines

During the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting on September 13 in Maceió, Brazil, leaders reached a historic agreement to address disinformation and establish an artificial intelligence agenda, marking the first recognition of disinformation issues within the G20 framework. Brazilian Minister João Brant emphasized the need for digital platforms to ensure transparency and accountability, while representatives committed to developing ethical guidelines for AI that prioritize human oversight and compliance with privacy and human rights laws.

Despite ongoing disagreements among countries, particularly between China and the United States, there was a consensus on the necessity for wealthy nations to work together to reduce global disparities in AI development. This meeting follows the recent ban of the social media platform X in Brazil due to its handling of far-right users, with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva focusing on issues pertinent to developing countries, including inequality and multilateral reform. The G20 summit is scheduled for November in Rio de Janeiro.

Key Concepts

• The G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting in Brazil addressed disinformation for the first time within the G20 framework.
• Leaders emphasized the need for transparency and legal compliance from digital platforms.
• Brazil’s Minister João Brant highlighted the historic recognition of accountability among digital platforms.
• G20 representatives committed to developing ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence.
• The importance of human oversight and adherence to privacy and human rights laws was stressed in AI discussions.
• Renata Mielli expressed hope that the initiatives would be included in the upcoming leaders’ declaration.
• South Africa will continue working on these issues as part of the G20’s rotating presidency in 2025.
• Ongoing disagreements exist between countries, particularly between China and the United States, regarding AI development.
• Wealthy nations are encouraged to collaborate to reduce global disparities in AI.
• Brazil’s Supreme Court recently banned the social media platform X due to its handling of far-right users.
• President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is prioritizing issues like inequality reduction and reforming multilateral institutions.

Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) reached an agreement on Friday (September 13) to work together to combat disinformation and develop an artificial intelligence agenda to address the challenges faced by governments in terms of the speed, scale, and impact of disinformation and hate speech. The

The G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting was held in Maceió, the capital of Alagoas State in northeastern Brazil, on Friday. In a statement, the ministers stressed the need for digital platforms to be transparent and “comply with relevant policies and applicable legal frameworks.”

João Brant, the Minister of Digital Policy of the Brazilian Presidency, told the Associated Press in a telephone interview that this is the first time in the history of the G20 that the problem of disinformation has been recognized and digital platforms have been required to maintain transparency and accountability.

G20 representatives also agreed to develop guidelines for the development of artificial intelligence, calling for “ethical, transparent and responsible use of artificial intelligence” and requiring the inclusion of human supervision and compliance with privacy and human rights laws.

“We hope that this will be mentioned in the leaders’ declaration and that South Africa will continue this work,” said Renata Mielli, an adviser to Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. South Africa will serve as the rotating presidency of the G20 in 2025. The G20 summit is scheduled for November in Rio de Janeiro.

Mieli, Brazil’s negotiator for the AI ​​working group, said there were disagreements among countries including China and the United States, but she declined to give specifics. She said a consensus was eventually reached that the world’s richest countries should cooperate to reduce global asymmetries in the development of artificial intelligence.

This week’s meeting will take place after the social media platform X has been banned across Brazil. The ban was issued by Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes after a months-long dispute with X’s owner, tech billionaire Elon Musk.

X has been clashing with de Moraes since last year over its reluctance to block some users, mostly far-right activists accused of undermining Brazilian democracy. Musk called Brazilian judges dictators and authoritarians because the ruling affected his companies in Brazil.

Brazil currently holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20, and its leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has put issues of concern to developing countries, such as reducing inequality and reforming multilateral institutions, at the heart of his agenda.