Governance

Governance

WHAT DOES THIS DIMENSION ADDRESS?

It explores the presence of AI policies and strategies that provide a roadmap for countries aiming to implement and advance these initiatives. Additionally, it covers the standards and mechanisms that govern the ethical and responsible use of AI, including personal data protection, bias elimination, and other key considerations

This dimension encompasses three subdimensions:

1)Vision and Institutionality, addresses the national AI strategies and policies established in each country, as well as the institutional frameworks responsible for their formulation and implementation. This subdimension includes three indicators.

2)International Lankage, it focuses on the extent of each country’s involvement in global AI regulatory discussions. It is measured by two indicators.

3)Regulation, evaluates the regulatory frameworks that define boundaries for AI use to mitigate potential harms and enhance the technology’s legitimacy. This subdimension consists of three indicators

Each subdimension comprises indicators, which, in turn, are further detailed into sub-indicators. These are measured and converted into scores within this index.

Vision and Institutionality

This framework includes 11 subindicators to assess distinct facets of this indicator:

  1. Existence of AI Strategy, that is currently in effect in a country and supported by a public institution.
  2. Responsible Institution for Execution, indicates the presence of a dedicated entity for implementation, such as a Ministry of Science and/or Technology).
  3. Evaluation Mechanisms Availability refers to established methods for monitoring the strategy to ensure compliance with stated goals.
  4. Interinstitutional Coordination Mechanisms, about defined structures responsible for coordinating action plans set forth in the AI strategy.
  5. AI Ethics and Governance, referred to the frameworks’ presence and policies to promote transparency and responsible AI development and use.
  6. AI Infrastructure and Technology, about plans focused on strengthening technical components to enable effective AI implementation).
  7. Capabilities Development, indicates educational and training programs inclusion, which are designed to prepare society and the workforce for an AI-driven environment.
  8. Data, about data infrastructures development such as data hubs, and policies ensuring access, quality, and proper use of data in AI development).

  9. Digital Government, indicates defined actions such as public sector migration to cloud platforms, smart city initiatives, citizen participation platforms, and AI training for public officials.

  10. Industry and Entrepreneurship, about promotion of AI clusters for collaboration between industry and academia, funding for AI startups, SME support for AI adoption, and AI incubators and accelerators.

  11. R&D, includes initiatives and policies fostering innovation, with dedicated resources and incentives for AI research and development.

  12. Regional and International Cooperation, about regional forums establishment and organizations to harmonize AI policies, standards, and practices).

This indicator evaluates a country’s engagement in the formulation and establishment of AI policies, aiming to ensure their legitimacy and long-term viability. It consists of two subindicators.

  • Citizen Participation, that measures the integration of direct citizen engagement mechanisms in the development process of AI policies and strategies.
  • Stakeholder Methodology, that assesses the formal involvement of non-governmental stakeholders—including industry, academia, organized civil society, and the general public—in both the creation and implementation of AI policies.

Facilitates public engagement in the management and oversight of the AI strategy, assessed through a subindicator:

Institutional Establishment which evaluates whether the AI policy is supported by an institution responsible for its implementation, such as a state body, government entity, ministry, or agency

International Linkage

It refers to the involvement of countries in regional meetings aimed at fostering cooperation and exchanging insights on the responsible and ethical use of AI. This is represented by a single subindicator:

  • Participación en ISO, que son los estándares de la industria para fijar los mecanismos y métricas con los que se evalúa la calidad y el potencial riesgo de algoritmos.

refers to participation in international committees, assessing whether countries are engaged in international agreements designed to ensure that policies align with global best practices for the development and ethical use of AI.

Regulation

It analyzes whether a nation has legislative initiatives in charge of AI risk mitigation.

That through the Cybersecurity Index sub-indicator, it evaluates national efforts reflected in legal, technical, organizational, capacity building and cooperative measures.

Through the subindicators Data Protection and Privacy, Security, Accuracy and Reliability, and Sustainability, it accounts for regulatory frameworks that ensure fair access to ethical AI and responsible energy consumption in cloud or computing centers.

MAIN FINDINGS

The Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index will provide an in-depth analysis of AI development, encompassing 19 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean this year.

01

A lot of enthusiasm, but no sense of urgency.

Only 7 of the 19 countries analyzed have active AI policies; the rest either lack them due to changes in government or have not yet initiated the process of developing them. However, even those with official policies still lack the strong backing of resources commensurate with the importance and urgency posed by the rapid advancement of AI.

02

Well-Oriented Strategies

All countries with an active strategy have at least six of the seven critical elements outlined in the principles. Furthermore, these policies are supported by similar structures, most of which include evaluation and coordination mechanisms to ensure the achievement of the declared objectives.

03

Opportunity for Collective Construction

Only one of the 19 countries implemented transparent and auditable citizen participation processes for developing its AI strategy. This is a crucial point to examine, considering that the processes for updating and formulating national policies and strategies present an opportunity to enhance standards of participation and legitimacy.

04

Developing story

The Latin American and Caribbean region has yet to reach a unified position on effective governance, creating an opportunity for all nations to continue participating in global discussions. This, in turn, enables the development of local synergies that could help shape a regional narrative on the matter.

05

Legislative Creativity

Currently, there are 38 legal initiatives under discussion or already approved regarding AI in the region. These range from specific measures, such as proposals to amend the Penal Code to penalize the misuse of Generative AI, address cases of phone scams, or prevent violations of individuals’ sexual privacy, to broader regulatory frameworks. Countries with mature ethics ecosystems show significant compliance with transparency, explainability, and the promotion of «do no harm”.

06

Let's Go Green

Data shows that nearly all countries in the region offer favorable conditions for access to clean and renewable energy. Regulatory frameworks, accessibility, and pricing are factors that could position the region as a source of carbon-neutral computing for the rest of the world. However, this potential requires greater awareness and advocacy efforts, which are still insufficient.

INTERACT WITH DE DATA

The interactive graph allows for a comparison of the ILIA 2024 results across dimensions, subdimensions, indicators, and subindicators for the 19 countries. This year, the Pioneers in Governance are Chile (83,62), Brasil (82,38), Uruguay (69.43), Argentina (68.73), República Dominicana (63.32) and Colombia (62.62).