en.Wedoany.com Reported - Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean recently approved the Santo Domingo Declaration and the 2026-2027 Regional Roadmap for the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, establishing a new phase of regional strategy for the responsible development of AI in the region. The Third Ministerial and High-Level Summit on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where participating countries adopted the Santo Domingo Declaration under the theme "Towards an Ethical, Responsible, and Productive Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean."
This shared vision requires that AI be advanced in the region in accordance with principles of human rights, responsible innovation, inclusion, equity, and sustainability. The declaration reaffirms that countries will develop AI with a human-centered approach, oriented towards social well-being and economic development.
One of the main outcomes of the summit was the approval of the 2026-2027 Regional Roadmap for the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, a tool designed to translate conceptual frameworks into concrete policies and regional cooperation mechanisms. This document builds on the work of previous summits held in Santiago, Chile (2023) and Montevideo, Uruguay (2024), which led to the creation of the Working Group on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (Grupo de Trabajo sobre la Ética de la Inteligencia Artificial) and the first 2024-2025 regional roadmap.
For 2026-2027, countries agreed to focus efforts on five areas: AI Governance and Regulation, establishing guidance mechanisms for technological development under ethical standards; Talent and the Future of Work, achieved through enhancing digital skills and AI capabilities; Protection of Vulnerable Groups, ensuring technology benefits the entire population; Environment, Sustainability, and Climate Change, considering AI's energy consumption and environmental impact; and Technological Infrastructure, as a foundation for expanding access to and implementation of AI solutions.
In the Santo Domingo Declaration, participating ministers and senior officials emphasized that cooperation and coordination of international and multilateral initiatives are crucial for the responsible application of technology, and that regional AI leadership requires countries to harmonize public policies and develop accessible and sustainable digital infrastructure. Specific actions in the roadmap include the establishment of a Regional Group of Experts on Disinformation and AI (Grupo Regional de Especialistas sobre Desinformación e IA) and the development of rapid response protocols to address challenges posed by information manipulation using AI tools. The plan also includes developing an open course on regional AI capabilities, training to integrate a gender perspective into public policies, setting regional environmental data standards, and conducting research on technological infrastructure and regulatory sandboxes. These projects aim to address the region's main challenges: a shortage of specialized talent, the need for appropriate regulatory frameworks, and building a digital ecosystem that leverages AI without widening existing gaps.
As part of the summit agreements, the Dominican Republic assumed the presidency of the Regional Working Group on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (Grupo de Trabajo Regional sobre la Ética de la Inteligencia Artificial), tasked with supporting the implementation of the 2026-2027 roadmap and promoting coordination among participating countries, international organizations, and professional actors. The declaration establishes this working group as a permanent regional coordination mechanism responsible for monitoring roadmap progress, updating initiatives, and strengthening cooperation with international networks. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) will provide technical and financial support. Countries also agreed to make the Ministerial Summit on the Ethics of AI an annual event to review progress, promote new projects, and ensure the continuity of regional processes.
