The country's National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, published in 2019, set forth an ambitious ten-year plan to transform the nation through AI while prioritising sustainable development, ethical principles, and the protection of individual rights.
At the core of Argentina's AI strategy lies a commitment to minimising the risk of AI development and implementation. The plan emphasises the importance of safeguarding personal data, upholding privacy rights, and ensuring that AI systems are designed in accordance with ethical and legal principles. Moreover, it seeks to analyse the impact of AI on the production scheme, labour forces, and prevent automated systems from perpetuating discriminatory or exclusionary practices.
The strategy covers a wide range of areas, including talent and education, research and development, supercomputing infrastructure, public-private cooperation, and the application of AI in public services and manufacturing. It also addresses themes such as ethics and regulation, communication and awareness building, and international cooperation.
To ensure public participation in shaping the AI plan, the government organised numerous meetings, working tables, and creative workshops, bringing together experts from various sectors, including government, private sector, academia, civil society, and international organisations.
However, despite these promising initiatives, Argentina still faces challenges in effectively implementing its AI strategy. The country's data protection law, while generally aligned with international standards, lacks specific provisions for algorithmic transparency and the right to object to automated decision-making. The proposed reform to the Personal Data Protection Law, which aims to address these gaps and bring Argentina's data protection regime up to date with technological advancements, has been under consideration by the National Congress since 2018 without a formal decision.
Another area of concern is the deployment of facial recognition technology in various cities and provinces across Argentina. While authorities claim that these systems are being used for legitimate purposes, such as identifying fugitives or missing persons, civil society organisations have raised concerns about the potential for abuse and violation of individual rights. The lack of clear regulations and oversight mechanisms for the use of facial recognition technology has led to calls for greater transparency and accountability.
Argentina has also been a vocal critic of the development and use of lethal autonomous weapons systems, particularly those without meaningful human control. The country has advocated for a preemptive prohibition on the development of such weapons and has actively participated in international discussions on this issue within the framework of the Convention on Conventional Weapons.
As a member of the G20 and a prospective member of the OECD, Argentina has endorsed the OECD/G20 AI Principles, which emphasise the importance of responsible stewardship, trustworthy AI, and international cooperation.
The country has also adopted the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI and is collaborating with the development bank of Latin America (CAF) to support its implementation in the region.
Looking ahead, Argentina has the potential to become a regional leader in responsible AI governance. Argentina must address the challenges related to data protection, algorithmic transparency, and the regulation of emerging technologies such as facial recognition.
This country report is our interpretation and summary of the "CAIDP Artificial Intelligence & Democratic Values Index 2023". The full report can be found here - https://www.caidp.org/reports/aidv-2023/