The United States urged G20 nations to adopt a less restrictive approach to regulating artificial intelligence (AI) and to avoid creating new rules or regulatory bodies for the sector. This call was made during a meeting of trade ministers and top technology executives in North Carolina.

The US appeal largely aligns with the views of the world's largest AI companies, most of which are American, that seek to minimize regulatory constraints on their rapidly growing businesses and avoid influencing the future rules governing the sector. These companies argue that stringent government requirements could squeeze profits if they slow the rollout of new models or force modifications to existing products to address safety and security concerns.

White House technology adviser Michael Kratchius, who is co-hosting the two-day meeting, urged countries to adopt what he called the “Carolina Principles.” These principles advocate limiting new regulations to cases requiring unprecedented considerations, investing in basic research, accelerating innovation, and promoting commercial opportunities for new technologies.

Kratchius told G20 officials that policymakers do not need to treat every innovation in isolation or view every emerging technology as an unprecedented regulatory problem.

The meeting comes at a sensitive time for the artificial intelligence industry, amid a growing global debate on how to regulate the technology and intensifying competition between the United States and China for supremacy in the field.

A UN panel recently warned that AI development is outpacing scientists' understanding and governments' ability to formulate appropriate policies. Recent security incidents, including a hack by an OpenAI agent that compromised the infrastructure of HackingFace, have also raised concerns about the rigor of testing AI companies conduct on their products.