The evolution of the G20's digital agenda

Digital transformation

Connectivity and digital inclusion

The challenge of bridging the digital divide remained a constant, but its conceptual framing evolved significantly across the three presidencies.

• Indonesia introduced the concept of people-centered digital connectivity, emphasizing how digital access can empower communities, support resilience, and provide essential services in the areas of education, healthcare, and agriculture. The presidency highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships, local innovation, and initiatives such as the G20 Digital Innovation Network and Digital Transformation Expo to foster global collaboration.
• India built on this foundation by embedding connectivity within Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and digital skills initiatives. The focus shifted from access alone to the services and skills that make connectivity transformative. India introduced tools like the G20 Toolkit for Digital Upskilling and the Roadmap for Cross-Country Digital Skills Comparison, alongside proposals for a UNESCO-based virtual Centre of Excellence to share best practices globally.
• Brazil advanced the conversation to universal and meaningful connectivity, emphasizing safe, affordable, and high-quality online experiences. The presidency introduced metrics to measure connectivity quality and accessibility while promoting digital literacy and inclusion. Brazil reinforced DPI as a key enabler for human-centric governance, digital ID systems, and equitable access to essential services.

Data governance and privacy

The data governance and privacy agenda has expanded to encompass security, development, and public value.

• Indonesia underscored Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT), promoting multistakeholder dialogue around principles such as lawfulness, fairness, and transparency, and offering practical tools to support secure cross-border data flows.
• India extended the focus toward Data for Development (D4D), linking responsible data use with service delivery, digital infrastructure, and security, and supporting initiatives to build trust and awareness—particularly for youth and MSMEs.
• Brazil highlighted the role of data in generating public value, encouraging open and interoperable systems while reinforcing the need to balance cross-border data access with national legal frameworks to support societal benefit.

Digital public infrastructure 

DPI emerged as a central pillar of the G20's digital agenda, evolving from enablers to a formal, globally recognized framework.

• Indonesia highlighted key enablers of DPI such as digital identity and interoperable health systems. The focus was on people-centered digital transformation and practical applications like digital health certificates.
• India made DPI a cornerstone of its G20 agenda, defining it as a set of shared digital systems based on open standards. India introduced frameworks and principles emphasizing inclusivity, interoperability, security, and human rights, along with practical initiatives such as the Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository and the One Future Alliance.
• Brazil focused on embedding DPI within social justice, human rights, and governance frameworks. The presidency emphasized inclusive digital identity, non-digital alternatives for essential services, and the balance between openness and security. DPI also became a topic of global cooperation and digital sovereignty.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

AI governance is seen as a supporting component of digital transformation as well as a central, rights-based global priority.

• Indonesia framed AI as an emerging technology with practical applications in sectors like smart cities, mobility, and MSME empowerment, highlighting its role in inclusive growth and digital participation.
• India highlighted AI as standalone policy focus, establishing principles for safe, human-centric, and SDG-aligned AI. The presidency promoted transparency, accountability, fairness, and human oversight, reinforcing responsible innovation globally.
• Brazil emphasized AI as a tool for social justice and global equity, addressing concerns of inequality, "digital colonialism," and concentration of power. The presidency promoted open-source AI, regulatory sandboxes, mandatory audits, and the inclusion of developing countries in governance. Initiatives also focused on AI's role in information integrity, calling for the use of ethical, transparent, and accountable AI tools for content moderation and creation accompanied by human oversight.

The next chapter in G20 digital policy

The evolution of the digital agenda shows that the G20 continues to play a meaningful role in fostering dialogue, even as rapid technological change and shifting geopolitical dynamics make full consensus more challenging. In this environment, the G20's strength lies in preserving continuity, identifying areas of shared interest, and advancing practical cooperation where alignment remains possible.

Future presidencies can build on existing progress by focusing on common principles, technical interoperability, capacity building, and voluntary frameworks. While not every issue will yield agreement, maintaining open channels for exchange and coordinated approaches can help sustain momentum. By translating established principles into actionable outcomes, the G20 can continue contributing to an inclusive and human-centric digital future.