Minister Altmaier meets with G20 digital ministers in Trieste

Federal Economic Affairs Minister Peter Altmaier is today taking part in the G20 meeting of digital ministers hosted by the Italian Presidency in Trieste, Italy. The format has been in existence since 2017, when Germany convened the first such meeting during its G20 Presidency.

Minister Altmaier said: “Like a magnifying glass, the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the potential that digitalisation can unlock across the globe for the benefit of people – but it has also exposed the challenges that still lie ahead when it comes to digitalisation. Today, we will discuss how we can continue to make sure that new technologies like artificial intelligence are used in such a way that the opportunities of digitalisation can be harnessed by everyone, and in particular by SMEs, to further the well-being of the economy and society.”

Today’s meeting focuses on the digital provision of public services for citizens and companies, on digitalisation in industry and on the use of artificial intelligence by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).