On June 24, 25 and 26 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, two of the main meetings on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) in Latin America and the Caribbean took place, bringing together representatives of governments, international organizations, universities and civil society organizations to discuss the challenges of an ethical, inclusive and common good-oriented AI.

On behalf of the Universidad Austral And from Argentina, Adriana Baravalle, director of the Exponential Technologies Laboratory, participated in both events, organized by UNESCO together with other regional organizations, contributing the academic perspective to the discussions on the future of artificial intelligence governance in the region.

Baravalle was part of the panel of "Strengthening the voices of civil society and academia in Latin America and the Caribbean in AI governance"Organized by Globethics and UNESCO within the framework of the Third Ministerial Summit on AI Ethics, she participated in a round table discussion and the approval of the regional position paper. "A fair, sovereign, and inclusive AI governance", prepared in preparation for the United Nations Global Dialogue to be held in Geneva in July.

He was also part of the Third Ministerial and High-Level Summit on AI Ethics in Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by UNESCO, CAF and OGTIC. This meeting took place within the framework of the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, promoted by UNESCO in 2021, and the methodology RAM, implemented in more than 75 countries to assess the level of preparedness of States in the face of the development of these technologies.

During both days, the main challenges facing the region in building artificial intelligence that is people-centered, respectful of human rights, and geared towards sustainable development were addressed.

Among the main points of consensus reached, the following stood out:

• the recognition of artificial intelligence as a strategic infrastructure and the promotion of digital public goods, such as open data, free software and open models;
• the need to reduce the infrastructure, connectivity, talent and financing gaps that limit regional development;
• Strengthening technological sovereignty through regional cooperation and greater participation of Latin America and the Caribbean in international standardization bodies;
• the establishment of clear limits for high-risk uses, such as lethal autonomous weapons, mass biometric surveillance, social scoring, and predictive profiling;
• the protection of the most vulnerable populations through specific standards and effective redress mechanisms;
• the promotion of governance based on international human rights law, with active participation from academia and civil society;
• and the incorporation of environmental sustainability criteria, promoting transparency on the water, energy and carbon footprint of artificial intelligence systems.