On Wednesday, Sep. 2, hundreds of UNC student activists and locals protested the G20 Innovation Ministerial event held at the Carolina Inn. The international event featured speakers like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Elon Musk, who joined remotely. The ministerial was focused on AI and technological innovation.
Photographer Tony Mergliano attended the demonstration and captured the following images, some of which contain strong language.
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
UNC students and activists protest AI and the G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Old Well and the Carolina Inn (Image via Tony Mergliano).
Featured image via Tony Mergliano.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Related Stories
‹

UNC Students and Activists Protest AI-Focused G20 Event at the Carolina InnDemonstrators made as much noise as possible to create a sound disruption representative of the noise created by large AI data centers.

Photo Gallery: UNC Welcomes Students Back at FallFestUNC students and faculty gathered in the Pit for FallFest, an annual celebration marking the beginning of the academic year.

UNC Announces Saif Kharait As New Chief Artificial Intelligence OfficerUNC revealed its next chief artificial intelligence officer is Saif Khairat, a current professor at the School of Nursing.

'It's All In How You Use The Tool': The Academic Use of AI at UNCFear about job prospects was the main finding in a survey of 43 undergraduate students at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media about their feelings and use of generative AI.

'Welcome to the SHIRE': New UNC Program Uses AI to Study Medical Data, Without Violating Patient PrivacyA new AI-based program called the SHIRE is enabling UNC researchers to analyze mountains of medical data - without privacy violations.
![]()
On Air Today: 'AI For Public Good' with UNC's Penny Gordon-Larsen and Emily PfaffMonday, April 13, UNC is bringing together national AI leaders for an all-day conference at the Friday Center called "AI For Public Good."

Photo Gallery: No Kings Day Orange County, March 2026On Mar. 28, people from across Orange County gathered to participate in the third 'No Kings Day.' Here is our photo gallery from the event.

UNC's Announces Departure Of Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Seeks ReplacementJeffrey Bardzell, who was appointed as UNC’s chief artificial intelligence officer and vice provost for AI, will depart the university.

Death Investigation Conducted at Carolina Inn; Police Say No Threat to Public's SafetyA death at the Carolina Inn property Friday morning is under investigation by UNC Police. Authorities say there's no threat to public safety.

'We Don't Plan To': Chancellor Downplays Potential That UNC Signs Trump Admin's Higher Ed CompactChancellor Lee Roberts told faculty UNC will not sign the "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" in its current form.
›