Over the past four years, the G20 has seen a period of digital policy innovation. The consecutive presidencies of Indonesia (2022), India (2023), Brazil (2024) and South Africa (2025) have formulated a set of potentially transformational priorities around three interconnected areas: Digital Transformation (DT), Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The Policy Innovation Lab at Stellenbosch University, working with the TUM Think Tank at the Technical University of Munich and the Global Network of Internet and Society Centers at Harvard University, has undertaken a detailed synthesis of this four-year period. Using AI-assisted textual analysis supported by expert review, the project is examining more than 200 official G20 documents, including leaders’ declarations, ministerial communiqués and working group reports, to map the evolution of the G20’s digital policy discourse across these three topics.

The project’s findings are being compiled into three thematic reports, each covering one of the core digital areas. Together, they trace a consistent and progressive shift from short-term, recovery-driven policy discussions to a structured, long-term digital governance framework. The final reports will be published towards the end of 2025.

Digital transformation

The G20’s digital transformation agenda has developed from a post-pandemic recovery focus into a more institutional and strategic policy framework. Indonesia’s 2022 presidency, under the theme “Recover Together, Recover Stronger,” prioritised inclusive recovery through digital participation. Key outputs such as the Collection of Policies and Recommendations to Improve Meaningful Participation promoted people-centred connectivity and the development of digital skills for vulnerable groups.

India’s 2023 presidency then built on this foundation, moving from principles to implementation. Under the theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” it positioned digital systems as essential drivers of sustainable development. Outputs such as the G20 High-Level Principles to Support Businesses in Building Safety, Security, Resilience, and Trust and the G20 Roadmap to Facilitate the Cross-Country Comparison of Digital Skills provided practical mechanisms for capacity building and policy alignment.

In 2024, Brazil expanded the agenda to address inequality directly. It linked digital transformation with social outcomes, promoting the concept of “meaningful connectivity” and developing G20 Guidelines on Indicators to measure the quality and affordability of digital access. Brazil also introduced “information integrity” as a central concept, connecting digital governance with democratic stability and the management of disinformation.

Digital Public Infrastructure

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) emerged as a major focus across the four presidencies, evolving from a conceptual framework into an operational policy agenda. Indonesia’s 2022 presidency began to explore DPI through outputs such as the Report on Identifying Key Enablers on Digital Identity, which identified interoperability and digital identity as key elements of economic recovery.

India’s 2023 presidency formalised this agenda through the landmark G20 Framework for Systems of Digital Public Infrastructure. This document established a shared definition and vocabulary for DPI, structured around technology, governance and community models. India also launched two key mechanisms for cooperation, namely the Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository (GDPIR) and the One Future Alliance (OFA), to support knowledge sharing and global capacity development.

In 2024, Brazil shifted the focus from system design to governance and rights. Its G20 General Principles on the Governance of Digital Identity introduced critical safeguards, including the right to non-digital alternatives for accessing essential services. This reframed data governance as a matter of public interest and democratic accountability. South Africa’s 2025 presidency is expected to build on this foundation by focusing on implementation, capacity building and ethical standards for DPI.

Artificial Intelligence

The G20’s approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI) has matured rapidly over this period, moving from technical enablement to questions of ethics, governance and equity. Indonesia’s 2022 presidency treated AI as an emerging technology that relied on solid data systems and digital skills development.

India’s 2023 presidency adopted a principles-based, pro-innovation stance. Through the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration, it reaffirmed fairness, transparency and human rights as key principles of responsible AI and directly linked them to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This represented a move from broad endorsement to clearer policy guidance and cooperation.

In 2024, Brazil reframed AI governance around international human rights law. Its approach focused on addressing both misuse and “missed use” of AI—ensuring that the technology contributes to sustainable development rather than reinforcing global inequalities. Brazil promoted agile policy tools such as regulatory sandboxes and fundamental rights impact assessments to operationalise equity within AI regulation. South Africa’s 2025 presidency is expected to continue this emphasis, focusing on ethical frameworks and skills development to close the “AI equity gap.”

Towards transformative G20 digital governance

The evolution of G20 policy across digital transformation, Digital Public Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence shows a consistent shift towards coherence. What began as a series of fragmented initiatives has become a mature digital governance framework.

We expect that the final reports will provide a comparative analysis of how key digital policy concepts have evolved, highlighting both convergence and divergence across member states. They aim to give policymakers, diplomats and other stakeholders a clearer understanding of how digital governance priorities are taking shape within the G20.

* This article was written using a combination of human expertise and the Policy Innovation Lab’s in-house AI tools.