The US has urged G20 nations to avoid introducing new AI regulations
US tech adviser Michael Kratsios has promoted the “Carolina Principles” as a framework for AI policy
The push comes as Washington seeks to preserve its AI advantage over China
The United States has urged G20 countries to take a restrained approach to artificial intelligence (AI) regulation, arguing that governments should avoid creating new rules unless they address issues that existing frameworks cannot cover.
The push came at a two-day G20 technology meeting in North Carolina, where commerce ministers, technology executives and policymakers are discussing the future of AI and its regulation.
1 August 2026
Get the latest issue of Outlook Business
US tech adviser Michael Kratsios, who is co-hosting the meeting, called on countries to adopt what he described as the “Carolina Principles”, as per a Reuters report.
Under the proposed approach, governments would “reserve new regulation for novel considerations” when developing AI-related policies.
Kratsios also called for greater investment in foundational research and measures to expand commercial opportunities arising from new technologies.
“Policymakers do not need to approach each innovation in isolation and should not treat every emerging technology as a first-of-its-kind policy problem,” he said, as per the report.
Advertisement
The US is also expected to oppose the creation of new regulatory bodies specifically tasked with overseeing AI development, per Reuters.
The approach broadly reflects the interests of major US-based AI companies, which have sought to limit regulations that could slow the rollout of new models or require changes to products over safety and security concerns.
AI Safety And China Competition
The debate comes as governments face growing concerns about the pace of AI development. A United Nations panel has warned that advances in the technology are moving faster than scientific understanding and public policy.
Recent incidents involving AI agents have also heightened scrutiny over safeguards. AI agents are software programmes capable of carrying out tasks with limited human supervision.
Advertisement
At the same time, the US is seeking to maintain its lead over China in AI. Chinese open-weight models, whose core components are publicly accessible, are increasingly competing with proprietary systems developed by companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
Vivek Chilukuri of the Center for a New American Security said the US administration has an added incentive to keep other countries within the American technology ecosystem rather than allowing alternatives to gain traction, as per Reuters.
Canadian officials attending the meeting are expected to argue for a balance between technological innovation and public trust and safety, the report said.
Tech Leaders Join G20 Debate
Several technology leaders are participating in the discussions. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk criticised European Union technology regulations, saying the bloc's policies “inhibits progress” for companies.
He also called for greater investment in new energy sources to meet the rising power requirements of AI data centres.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis are scheduled to address ministers by video. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang are expected to appear separately on Wednesday, per Reuters.
