Authorities and scientists representing the members of the G20 finalized a document with recommendations to the bloc’s leaders on Tuesday (2), the date that marked the last day of the Science20 Summit (S20), held in Rio de Janeiro. One of the highlights was the defense of regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and the creation of policies that guarantee a balance between innovation, job security and workers’ rights.
In addition to AI, four other thematic axes are part of the final document: bioeconomy, energy transition process, health challenges and social justice. The event, which had the motto “Science for world transformation”, was led by Helena Nader, president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC). She highlighted the importance of Brazil being at the forefront of the process and seeking to reduce inequalities between the G20 occupants.
“The Global North is not concerned, it is not looking as it should at the needs of the Global South. The G20 can help change this. Brazil is occupying a leadership position and can make changes within the group. And with that, pressure to guarantee the social engagements that the science and technology area is seeking”, said Helena Nader.
“We had very significant participation from China here, as well as from South Africa. This facilitated greater convergence.”
In terms of artificial intelligence, the main recommendations of the S20 were:
- create policies in an AI-driven economy to ensure job security and workers’ rights. These policies must be flexible and adaptable and grounded in shared ethical principles, which will ensure innovation while reducing social risks;
- contribute to establishing AI regulations and data governance standards that benefit all countries fairly and uphold human values;
- work together to create and share large sets of valuable, well-curated scientific data while respecting data governance.
On the topic of bioeconomy, the recommendation is that G20 countries must reach a consensus on the role of bioeconomy as one of the strategies to address climate change, biodiversity loss, poverty and human and non-human health.
In the energy transition, the document says that general efforts to reduce emissions in the energy transition process must be based on increasing the use of low-emission energy sources. This includes nuclear and renewable energy, in a combination that varies from one country to another, moving towards the phase-out of coal.
Carbon capture, utilization and storage, along with market-based approaches such as carbon pricing on a global scale, must be utilized to minimize CO2 emissions from fossil fuels as we move away from these sources towards an energy future of low emissions.
In the axis on health challenges:
- ensure global access to essential vaccines, medicines and diagnostic tools for all. Promote sustainable local and regional production through the development of capabilities in research, innovation, knowledge sharing and technology transfer;
- promote effective communication strategies to disseminate health information, combat misinformation, and conduct health campaigns;
- leverage global resources focused on the health impacts of climate and environmental change, with a focus on groups with known vulnerabilities, such as those exposed to extreme weather events.
With regards to social justice:
- expand infrastructure for universal internet access;
- increase digital literacy to ensure that all segments of society benefit from digital advances;
- formulate inclusive and equitable approaches to digital development;
- address science-related misinformation in digital media to avoid adverse impacts on society, while developing national, regional and global strategies involving scientific communities and civil society.
S20 Summit
Representatives of the Academies of Sciences from South Africa, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, United States, France, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom, Turkey and the European Academy, representing the European Union.
S20 had financial support from the Studies and Projects Financier (Finep) and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). Created in 2017, it acts as the G20 engagement group for the area of science and technology. The debates take place every year and are always coordinated by the country’s science academy, which presides over the G20. Previous meetings were hosted by Germany (2017), Argentina (2018), Japan (2019), Saudi Arabia (2020), Italy (2021), Indonesia (2022) and India (2023).
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