The country, following the recommendations of the Report on the Assessment of the State of Preparedness in Artificial Intelligence (AI) prepared by UNESCO, launched the updated National AI Policy and its action plan, as well as a proposed AI law that seeks to regulate and promote the ethical and responsible development of this technology.
These milestones were presented at an important event that took place on Thursday, May 2 in La Moneda in the presence of Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO and Ms. Aisén Etcheverry, Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation of Chili.
The draft law on AI presented by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation aims to promote the creation, development, innovation and implementation of human-centered AI systems and ensure the protection of health, safety and the fundamental rights of people, as well as the protection of consumers against the harmful effects of certain uses of AI. The bill proposes an intersection between self-regulation and risk-based regulation, classifying AI systems into those that present unacceptable risk; a high risk level; a limited level of risk; and no obvious risk. The bill establishes a series of internationally accepted ethical principles, in line with the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.
During the event, Aisen Etcheverry presented the updated National Artificial Intelligence Policy, highlighting its attention to governance and ethical aspects. He mentioned that the Policy update process specifically incorporated the results of UNESCO’s Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM), which were key to identifying governance gaps, as well as the opinions of multiple stakeholders across the country. .
Chile is the first country in the world to apply and finalize the UNESCO RAM. This milestone has provided valuable knowledge that will serve as a basis not only for Chile, but also for the efforts of other nations that undertake similar paths.
Gabriela Ramos, Deputy Director General of Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO, from Paris, highlighted Chile’s positive commitment to AMR and the importance of this report, which made it possible to provide concrete results to Chilean policies and legislation and position it even further the country to reap the benefits of AI, while ensuring that it delivers fair, sustainable and inclusive outcomes.
Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, congratulated Chile for having driven positive results and set the trajectory of AI governance in the region. He stated that “through its leadership, experience and unwavering commitment to ethical principles, Chile has emerged as a global leader in the ethical governance of AI, and we are proud that UNESCO has been an essential player in helping to achieve this.” reference point.”
The event was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto Van Klaveren, the Minister of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, Carolina Arredondo and the Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela. Numerous academic authorities, technology experts and representatives of some of the more than 100 public services that are already applying AI also attended.
