Colombia releases AI policy to boost 'ethical' use of the technology and investments

Following months of discussions, the Colombian government published its national AI policy aimed at the "ethical and sustainable" use of the technology and with plans to boost investments in digital infrastructure, workforce training and AI centers, among others.

In recent months, countries including Chile, Uruguay and Mexico have presented national datacenter plans, with an eye on artificial intelligence, as nations race to take advantage of the "window of opportunity" for AI investments.

Elsewhere in Latin America, Brazil has its own national plan for artificial intelligence, dubbed PBIA, which covers 2024-28, and is readying a specific policy to streamline investments in datacenters.

In the case of Colombia, a first draft of the AI policy was presented last August and according to the government, received more than 1,000 comments and proposals.

The country's national council for economic and social policy (CONPES) has now issued the final version. 

Covering 2025-30, the policy's core goal is "to generate the capacities for the research, development, adoption and ethical and sustainable use of AI systems in order to promote the social and economic transformation of Colombia."

It establishes six strategic objectives:

1) Strengthen governance and ethics in AI systems to ensure their responsible use

2) Improve technological infrastructure and data management to support the development of AI

3) Promote research and innovation in AI to generate knowledge and economic and social benefits

4) Develop capabilities and talent in AI to boost personal development and productivity

5) Define measures to identify and mitigate risks associated with AI, avoiding inequities and violations of rights

6) Promote the adoption of AI in public entities, companies and territories to contribute to the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the country. 

Total public investment projected for the policy nears 480bn pesos (US$126mn) to carry out 106 actions by different ministries.

What it entails

Among the many proposed initiatives, the ICT ministry (Mintic) and the science and technology ministry will establish a "governance model" around AI and then formalize it through a regulatory instrument, or a decree.

This governance model is expected to form the basis for the broader use of AI and should be published in the coming months.

Datacenters

Also as part of the policy, albeit previously announced, the country plans to build three datacenters in partnership with the United Arab Emirates to form part of Colombia's sovereign cloud.

These three datacenters are expected to be developed in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta and involve investments of US$80mn and 30MW in capacity.

The country also foresees the development of two major AI centers.

Spectrum

At the same time, national spectrum agency Ane and Mintic plan a study to identify spectrum needs for AI applications that require wireless connectivity.

According to the government, this involves both access networks and data transport networks, such as fiber backbones, backhauls and interconnection systems.

The study is planned to begin this year and is expected to be released in 2026.

Workforce

The Colombian AI policy is also heavily focused on enabling a tech-oriented educational curriculum and on the training of a specialized AI workforce. 

Colombia cannot meet its own demand for technology professionals and competes with other countries for workers.

"The shortage of human capital required by the local market is exacerbated, taking into account the absorption of professionals in the international market," notes the policy.

At present, Colombia occupies third position among the countries with the most IT sector workers hired by international companies, says the government.

While this makes the country one of the main providers of digital talent, it also means it is more difficult for Colombian companies to hire and retain these professionals with good salaries.

Interoperability

Overall, the policy recognizes that the country faces a number of hurdles along the AI road, ranging from issues such as network interconnection to specialized labor, low investment in R&D and innovation, and a small number of development companies specialized in the most modern applications.

Regarding the interoperability of the State's data infrastructure (public and private), for example, the policy says that "Colombia presents deficiencies in interoperability that hinder the use of data for the development and exploitation of AI systems."

The government will still need congress to pass legislation to enact aspects of the AI policy.

The policy can be accessed in the Documents box in the top-right corner of the screen.