G20 has Left Town – but AI Conversations are Here to Stay
September 11, 2026
Chapel Hill has gathered some global attention this week between UNC’s victory over TCU in Dublin for the Aer Lingus Football Classic and Chapel Hill’s hosting of the G20 Innovation Ministerial. The G20 event, which took place over September second and third, featured representatives from the world’s leading economies as well as leaders from the tech industry such as Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk (the latter two of which appeared remotely) to discuss how to promote investment and cooperation in the governance of emerging technologies. Whether you were following along online, making use of your free speech, or simply noticed an uptick in local traffic, it’s likely that your life as a Chapel Hill resident or student was impacted by the G20 event and, by extension, the broader discussions around artificial intelligence.
The big item discussed at the G20 Ministerial was artificial intelligence, more specifically, ways in which governments can promote the investment in and development of AI technologies. While legally nonbinding, G20 members proposed a set of principles, dubbed the Carolina Principles for Emerging Technologies, which aim to promote investment and soften regulatory environments surrounding the development of AI technologies. The principles have been characterized by some to be a “Light-Touch” approach towards AI governance as they call on members to, for example, avoid creating new regulatory bodies and instead utilize existing regulatory structures (linked article accessible via Bloomberg login). The Carolina Principles will be proposed for full adoption by the G20 members during the G20 Summit, which will take place in Florida during December.
Many UNC students have already joined the broader conversation on these emerging technologies through organized protests on campus, online discussions, or personal study. While the G20 Ministerial has now concluded and left town, the hot button issues accompanying artificial intelligence and the governance of these technologies will remain in the minds of many. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to stay involved in the conversation at UNC for those passionate about the issue or simply wanting to learn more.
After AI talk by Dr. Lauren Klein
An upcoming event hosted by Wilson Library on September 24th at 3:00 p.m. featuring a talk by Dr. Lauren Klein – a Professor of Data & Decisions Sciences and English at Emory University and co-author of Data Feminism. Dr. Klein previews her talk and the topics it will address with the following description:
“What happens after the AI bubble bursts? What happens after all of our organizing and action against the current configuration of power, at long last, succeeds? This talk will begin from the premise that a world after “AI” (scare quotes intended) will not be a world without it, nor will it mean that the biases and other harms associated with our current AI systems will simply go away. The question then, I propose, becomes how we remain attuned to power asymmetries and extractive logics, and account for them in each specific instance of use.”
Those interested in attending can RSVP via the University Library website.
UNC Libraries AI Events and Training
UNC Libraries offers a number of workshops and training for those interested in learning how to use AI to responsibly augment their learning and research. A few upcoming workshops of note are:
September 9, 2026 @ 1:00 p.m.
“This workshop will cover best practices for creating agents on PromptLab, the University Library’s privacy-focused AI platform. You will learn how to create effective agent instructions, upload knowledge sources, connect agents with one another, and more!”
AI for Research: Introduction to AI Tools in Qualitative Software
September 15, 2026 @ 10:00 a.m.
“This course will introduce participants to generative AI tools in qualitative software—ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA, and NVivo. These tools can be used to summarize textual documents through AI-assisted memo writing and to support coding, with each program taking a different approach to integrating human judgment and AI features.”
October 1, 2026 @ 2:00 p.m.
“In this workshop, you’ll learn how to write thoughtful prompts, question AI-generated responses, and guide GenAI tools toward more balanced and reliable results.”
These are just a few select events. To view the entirety of what UNC Libraries are offering on the topic of AI you can visit their upcoming events calendar and filter by category to select “AI Events and Training”. Additionally, you can also keep up to date with AI events presented by our research triangle friends at NC State and Duke by visiting their AI events calendars: