G7 committed to DPI for socio-economic transformation, OECD’s digital ID governance

Industry, tech and digital ministers of the world’s seven biggest economies (G7) say AI and other digital systems have the potential to help improve the way governments and private sector operators provide public services to citizens.

This affirmation is contained in a declaration adopted by the ministers after their two-day meeting which took place from March 14-15 in Italy, with support from the OECD, UNDP, UNESCO and ITU.

While recognizing the transformative power of digital technologies, the ministers said they also fully endorse “the ongoing international discussions on different approaches to digital identity and other digital government services, including digital public infrastructure (DPI), and the value of sharing examples.”

“The future of our economies, and their sustainability and resilience, depends on our determination to promote innovation and on our ability to help translate the digital transformation into concrete benefits for our citizens and to address the related challenges,” said the ministers, adding that leveraging the power of AI and other emerging digital technologies can be pivotal in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Commitment to digital innovation, AI safeguards

While the ministers agree that digital technologies can foster socioeconomic development, they also express their affirmation for safeguards against harms engendered by technological innovation. The spread of hate speech and disinformation are noted among those harms.

“As such, we are committed to achieving an appropriate balance between fostering innovation and the need for appropriate guardrails as we advance our collective efforts to promote safe, secure, and trustworthy AI.”

In this respect, they reiterate that they are committed to “working together to continue fostering innovation and advancing the safe, secure, and trustworthy development, deployment, and use of AI and other digital technologies in a manner that respects democratic values and human rights in line with inclusive and sustainable economic growth, resilient public administrations, and well-being for our societies.”

Mindful of the enormous power of AI, the G7 ministers agree to “advance our discussions on policies, tools and mechanisms in the areas of AI in the public sector; on digital government; on the outcomes of the Hiroshima AI Process,” to work with private sector stakeholders given their key role in driving innovation in AI and other digital technologies, and to continue reflections on adopting common technical standards for digital technologies.

“We reiterate our willingness to work with key partners in emerging economies and developing countries to ensure that AI is inclusive, responsible, and equitable,” a portion of the declaration reads. Shared dialogue between all stakeholders will be necessary, the declaration says.

Digital transformation, the ministers recognize, cannot happen without connectivity, reason why they reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing exchanges on “secure and resilient terrestrial networks, undersea cable networks, and non-terrestrial networks to promote global connectivity,” and to ensuring that additional joint efforts are employed to bridge digital divides, including bridging the gender digital divide by 2030.

DPI for digital govt, societal inclusion

On this aspect, the G7 ministers resolve that they are ready to continue sharing thoughts on various approaches to digital government services to contribute to societal inclusion, especially of vulnerable groups, and trust in government, noting that one of the ways of doing this is through the building of safe, inclusive and interoperable DPI as championed by the India’s G20 Presidency.

“The development of reliable and well-functioning DPI, with appropriate safeguards, including with regard to privacy and security, can help deliver efficient, equitable, inclusive, and human-centric public services. It has the potential to foster growth and innovation in the digital economy, including by increasing opportunities for MSMEs,” the ministers posit.

They also emphasize the need to keep issues of security and inclusion in mind when developing, deploying and governing DPI.

“We recognise that interoperable elements of DPI can be developed by the public sector, private sector, or jointly, and, with appropriate safeguards, can improve access to digital services across sectors and borders,” they say, underlining the place of international collaboration in harnessing DPI for emerging economies.

With regard to digital ID, the officials reaffirm their “commitment to the OECD Recommendation on the Governance of Digital Identity, promoting the development of digital identity systems that are user-centred and inclusive, supported by appropriate governance, including security and privacy safeguards.”

“Digital identity, with appropriate privacy and security safeguards, can transform the way service providers operate and interact with their users, both in-person and online, as well as facilitate inclusion and simplify access to a wide range of services, and thereby contribute social and economic value.”

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital identity  |  digital public infrastructure  |  G7  |  OECD  |  UNDP