G7 agrees on child online safety, divided on AI energy concerns

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Paris: The G7 digital ministers meeting in Paris reached a limited agreement on protecting children online and strengthening AI safety measures, but were failed to reach an agreement on dealing with the environmental impact of artificial intelligence, exposing ongoing divisions among the world's leading economies over digital policies.

Ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States have agreed on a list of principles to make the internet safer for children. Stronger age-verification methods, including child protection into digital service design, and expanding efforts to remove illegal and harmful online content aimed at minors are among the measures proposed.

French Digital Minister Anne Le Henanff highlighted online child safety as a ‘international priority’ and stated that the agreement would enable governments to put greater emphasis on tech firms to strengthen protections for young users.

The discussions also covered artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and the expansion of AI technologies across economies. Ministers acknowledged that AI technologies can pose risks if misused by malicious actors and promised to take an innovative approach to addressing those issues. The declaration emphasised the importance of secure AI systems, improved identification of AI-generated content, and stronger protections against online manipulation and disinformation.

However, when it came to the environmental cost of quickly developing AI infrastructure, the debate went up. France intended for greater commitments to sustainability, but conflicts, particularly with the United States, limited the scope of the final declaration. The text ultimately agreed that further AI deployment will put pressure on energy systems and require more efficient resource usage, but it did not include concrete environmental targets or regulatory commitments.

The issue has become more important as major technology firms invest extensively in energy-intensive data centres and advanced semiconductor manufacturing to enable more potent AI models. Experts have cautioned that the sector's increased electricity use could put a strain on national power networks and raise demand for vital raw materials used in high-performance processors.

Four annexes addressing child protection, AI governance and security, wider adoption of AI across industries, and the resilience of digital infrastructure were approved by ministers in addition to the core declaration. The results, according to officials, will be the foundation of discussions at the next G7 leaders' summit in Évian, France, which is set for June 15–17. It is expected that technology governance and AI development will remain to be major topics of discussion.