Going Digital

The March 2019 Going Digital Summit marked the end of Phase I with the release of Going Digital: Shaping Policies, Improving Lives and Measuring the Digital Transformation: A Roadmap for the Future.

Phase II addressed new opportunities and challenges through analysis of frontier technologies, notably artificial intelligence and blockchain, with an ongoing focus on jobs, skills and social inclusion, as well as productivity, competition and market structures.

A key achievement of Phase II was the launch of the OECD.AI Policy Observatory in February 2020. OECD.AI provides data and multi-disciplinary analysis to shape and share public policies for responsible, trustworthy AI.

In Phase III the project focused on data and data flows as a driver for growth and well-being across policy domains, culminating in the OECD Digital Economy Ministerial meeting in December 2022 with the release of the report Going Digital to Advance Data Governance for Growth and Well-being and the Going Digital Guide to Data Governance Policy Making.

Phase IV has put people at the centre of the digital transition. It looks at digital transformation from the perspective of digital divides, alignment with climate change goals and responsible technological development. The phase is based on three pillars: 1) digital divides; 2) the twin digital and net-zero transitions; and 3) technology governance. 

Inclusive digital transformation requires high-quality broadband connectivity and widespread diffusion of digital technologies across and within countries. Despite progress in the past decade, important digital divides persist across the OECD. Building on the OECD Recommendation on Broadband Connectivity and broadband statistics, this pillar concentrates on approaches to measure spatial connectivity divides within countries and policy recommendations to bridge them. The interconnected world of today, and tomorrow, relies on broadband connectivity. As such, ensuring that everyone and everything can be connected “well” in terms of broadband availability, network quality and affordability, is at the heart of the policy agenda in OECD countries. While progress has been made, it has been unequal: persistent gaps remain between and within countries. The measurement of broadband quality and coverage across regions is essential to track the evolution of urban-rural broadband access divides and inform policymaking.

This pillar explores the interactions between the digital and green transitions, focusing both on businesses and on consumers, and  discussing policies that can support both transitions while boosting economic growth. Digital technologies and related supply and demand side policies can support the shift in production and consumption required for the green transition. They can lead to better environmental performance of firms and industries and can accelerate the development of new low-carbon innovations. 

Digital solutions can also empower consumers, who are increasingly willing to make lifestyle changes that benefit the environment. However, there is growing concern over energy consumption and emissions induced by industry’s digitalisation, and consumers face challenges when it comes to adopting “greener” solutions, including a lack of substantiated and reliable green claims, as well as other obstacles, such as a lack of green options. Policies can help ensure that the green and digital transitions can go hand in hand.

Effective governance of emerging technology is needed to promote responsible innovation that drives positive societal change and protects against potential harms. This pillar explores governance needs in key areas of technological change and cross-cutting technology governance mechanisms, such as horizon scanning, responsible business conduct, and agile regulation. It has produced an over-arching framework for emerging technology governance that was welcomed at the 2024 OECD Science and Technology Policy Ministerial. It will be followed in 2025 by a suite of reports that will provide guidance for its application.