G20 performance on digitalisation

The G20 has long been an important forum for addressing issues pertaining to digitalisation and artificial intelligence. South Africa’s G20 presidency has identified AI, data governance and innovation for sustainable development as one of the top high-level deliverables of the 2025 Johannesburg Summit, indicating that digitalisation will receive heightened attention by leaders. Given the accelerated development and uptake of digital technologies and AI, the G20 is uniquely well positioned to offer the leaders a forum to share knowledge and work in consensus to narrow the digital divide and ensure that AI is used for good, boosts sustainable economic growth and reduces inequalities.  

Deliberations

Since their first summit in 2008 until the 2024 Rio de Janeiro Summit, the leaders produced 20,062 words on digitalisation, averaging 7% per summit. Between 2008 and 2015, they dedicated an average of 2% to digitalisation per summit. Attention to the topic rose sharply at Hangzhou in 2016, with the leaders dedicating 19%, and with AI appearing on the agenda for the first time. Between 2016 and 2022, the leaders averaged 16% on the digital economy, with the highest proportion during this period at Hamburg in 2017 with 14%. Since 2022 attention has remained relatively steady: 2023 New Delhi had 17% and 2024 Rio had 13%.

Decisions

The G20 leaders have produced a total of 150 collective, future-oriented and politically binding commitments on digitalisation, averaging eight (4%) per summit. Their first two commitments came in 2015 at Antalya, for 2% of all subjects. The following year, at the 2016 Hangzhou Summit, the leaders made 48 (23%) on digitalisation, which was the largest portion to date. Thereafter, the number of commitments decreased 26 (9%) at 2017 in Hamburg, 11 (4%) at Buenos Aires in 2018 and 3 (3%) at Riyadh in 2020. The 2021 Rome Summit rebounded to 26 (12%), followed by another dip between 9 and 11 commitments (around 5%) at each of the summits between 2022 and 2024. 

Delivery

The G20 Research Group has assessed 18 digitalisation commitments for compliance. They average 74% compliance, slightly higher than the 71% compliance across all subjects. The highest compliance scores were awarded to commitments made at the 2023 New Delhi Summit with 98%, the 2017 Hamburg Summit with 95% and the 2020 Riyadh Summit with 90%. Lows came at the 2015 Antalya Summit with 55% and the 2016 Hangzhou Summit with 58%. By May 2025, compliance with the commitment assessed from the 2025 Rio Summit was 55%.

CAUSES

Among the commitments on digitalisation that have been assessed for compliance, a pattern can be observed. Commitments on AI tend to achieve higher compliance, with two AI commitments from 2023 scoring 90% and 100% respectively. Similarly, commitments related to the economy also tend to perform better, with commitments relating to the core economic subjects of tax, trade and financial literacy, as well as those on fostering innovation, achieving higher compliance. By contrast, commitments pertaining to the digital divide or tourism have lower compliance. This suggests that members are more likely to comply with commitments tied to the G20’s core economic principles. 

To increase compliance with their digitalisation commitments, at Johannesburg the leaders should consider focusing on making strong links between digitalisation and core economic subjects. They can also consider increasing the number of commitments on artificial intelligence, making AI stand out as a core priority for the leaders in achieving the broader G20 goals of gender equality, clean energy and climate action.

Conclusion 

To increase compliance with their digitalisation commitments, G20 leaders should produce fewer words and commitments on digitalisation in their declarations, but focus those commitments on AI and link them to economic principles and goals, such as employment. As the uptake of new digital technologies and AI accelerates around the globe, it poses important challenges related to the economy, provision of digital skills, the future of work, and the impact on the environment and climate change. The Johannesburg Summit offers the leaders an opportunity to share knowledge and challenges, work towards reducing the digital divide, and ensure alignment on the rules and regulations governing AI. At Johannesburg, G20 leaders should embed principles related to reducing inequalities and creating a sustainable economic future in their conclusions and commitments on digitalisation. The summit’s core theme of solidarity, equality and sustainability bodes well for success on digitalisation and AI.