On 4 Sept., Argentina's data protection authority, the Agency of Access to Public Information, published Resolution No. 161/23. which created the Transparency and Protection of Personal Data Program in the use of Artificial Intelligence. The Director of the AAIP, Beatriz Anchorena, said, "We continue to strengthen institutional capacities to incorporate transparency and the protection of personal data … in the development and use of artificial intelligence."
The program's general objective is to promote processes of analysis, regulation and strengthening of state capacities necessary to follow the development and use of AI, guaranteeing the effective exercise of citizens' rights regarding transparency and protection of personal data. With that in mind, part of the program's objectives are, among others:
- To generate knowledge that allows identifying good practices, learning and recommendations on transparency, algorithmic transparency and protection of personal data in the use of AI.
- To carry out actions to strengthen institutional capacities of key actors in the implementation of AI in this area.
- To promote participative processes for the generation of AI regulatory proposals in the country.
Moreover, the program includes three certain components and activities: an Observatory on AI, governance and social participation and strengthened capacities of transparency and protection of personal data in the use of AI.
These three components include the following different lines of action:
- Map key actors engaged in the subject (including non-governmental players).
- Monitor regional and global advances in the regulation of AI-based technological developments.
- Participative development of strategies related to the impact of the use of AI.
- Develop best practice guidelines for public and private entities on transparency and protection of personal data in the use of AI.
- Document automated decision systems and publish transparency criteria in the National Transparency Portal.
This resolution is related to other recommendations adopted by international organizations to which Argentina adheres, including recommendations issued in 2019 by the Organisation for Economic co-operation and Development, UNESCO in 2021 and, locally, by the Subsecretariat of Information Technology in 2023.
A week after this resolution was issued, the President's Chief of Staff also issued Administrative Decision No. 750/2023 that created the Interministerial Roundtable on AI, presided by the Chief of Staff Office, to address the progress and application of this technology in various sectors of the economy and society. Different ministries, including Science and Technology, will form the roundtable. It will also be charged with coordinating an open dialogue and analysis of the use of AI and the risks associated with public and private companies and individuals. The administrative decision aims to create a space for dialogue and analysis to examine the impact this technology can have on the country's socioeconomic reality.
For the time being, the program and the creation of the Interministerial Roundtable adds to the set of nonbinding regulations on AI.
Our impression is that the AAIP is generating a new space for reflection and analysis on AI. It is important that industry and technical experts participate in these spaces for reflection, to know their needs, and to develop solutions that generate greater development and innovation for the country.
