// SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: HEALTH
Why the G7 must act now to address the digital health transformation
Ilona Kickbusch, founding director, Global Health Centre, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
A s the world becomes increasingly digital, the boundaries between geopolitics and technology platforms are vanishing. As Bruno Maçães argues, today geopolitics is about creating new territory that is shaped by the rapid developments of digital technology and artificial intelligence. The politics and economics of the digital transformation are driven by competition to shape the rules and standards of the new virtual world before others are able to do so. Global efforts to strengthen the governance of large technology platforms are weak. This should be a high priority for the G7, but remains dangerously underdeveloped. The G7 – the world’s most powerful democracies and technology leaders – is uniquely positioned to lead a coherent response to the emerging risks posed by unregulated digital health platforms. But its engagement has been fragmented by members wanting to protect the technologies deemed strategically important. This must change. THE STRONG PUBLIC HEALTH CASE FOR REGULATION OF PLATFORMS There is a strong reason to begin addressing the challenges at hand with a focus on public health, where the digital transformation must be a tool for equity, not a driver of division. From telemedicine and AI-driven diagnostics to mental health apps and algorithmic content moderation, digital platforms are reshaping health systems and health information. Digital health platforms are powerful actors: without proper regulation, they deepen inequalities, compromise safety and erode public trust. The digital determinants of health – any factor rooted in, contingent on or inextricably linked to the digital world that can directly or indirectly influence health or well-being – are influencing and interacting with other health determinants. The most obvious impact is on the mental health of children and young people. The unchecked spread of health misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic undermined public trust and contributed to preventable deaths.
As digital platforms increasingly shape health systems and information flows, the G7 must lead in setting global standards to ensure safety, equity and public trust
92 // G7 CANADA: THE KANANASKIS SUMMIT 2025
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