Universidad de los Andes policy report finds Latin America and the Caribbean in an unprecedented AI regulatory boom

A policy report by Juan David Gutiérrez and Sebastián Hurtado, dated August 2026, summarises the first webinar of the series on AI governance in Latin America, held on July 15, 2026. The series is organised by two units of the Universidad de los Andes together with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. It draws on presentations by Gianfranco Mejía on Peru and Danielle Zaror on Chile, the authors' regional database, and a UNESCO policy report.

Using the database as of July 3, 2026, the report counts 716 regulatory instruments, covering binding rules and draft bills, across 23 countries and territories of Latin America and the Caribbean. More than 80% began their passage from 2023 onward. Five countries hold about 85% of the records: Brazil with 212, Mexico 126, Colombia 101, Argentina 95 and Peru 73. About 59% are still in progress, 23% archived and roughly 16% (113 instruments) approved. Most treat AI as a central subject, often through narrow laws on specific problems.

On Peru, the report says Law 31814 of 2023 was the first AI law in the region, brief and declaratory, and that its 2025 regulation adopts a three-tier risk approach with oversight spread across several authorities and obligations phased in up to 2030. Peru legislated first and adopted its national strategy only in April 2026. Chile began with a national policy, while its general bill, modelled on the European AI Act, now has low political viability under the current government, which has announced a new substitute proposal.

The report names shared challenges: limited institutional capacity, fragmented oversight, reliance on technical standards still being drafted, and unresolved liability rules. The debate is shifting toward digital sovereignty and AI infrastructure, and ends with seven considerations.