ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network launches new inter-parliamentary working group focused on artificial intelligence and digital rights
The “Virtual Parliamentary Exchange on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Rights,” organized by the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network, took place this morning and had the objective of bringing together parliamentarians from across the Americas and the Caribbean to discuss the effects on social well-being of the accelerated development of artificial intelligence (AI).
The meeting included round table discussions and a dialogue with interventions emphasizing the need for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Global South in general, to become more prominent participants in international dialogues on artificial intelligence so that AI regulatory frameworks and governance models are developed with democratic and inclusive principles and reflect the contexts, needs, and cultural and linguistic diversity of the hemisphere.
During the event, the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network (OPN) presented its Digital Caucus, a new parliamentary working group committed to developing legislative proposals on AI regulation using multidimensional approaches. Through a statement published today, ParlAmericas invites legislators from Latin America and the Caribbean to endorse this initiative, which responds to the growing global debates on the transformative potential of artificial intelligence and calls from different sectors for the development of regulatory proposals.
The Honourable Bridgid Annisette-George (Trinidad and Tobago), Speaker of the House of Representatives and Vice-President of ParlAmericas, gave the meeting’s welcoming remarks. Member of the Chamber of Representatives Catherine Juvinao (Colombia), Vice-President for South America of the ParlAmericas OPN, and Member of the Chamber of Deputies Margarita Stolbizer (Argentina) moderated the discussion among participants on the priorities for legislative work on inclusive governance of artificial intelligence. The panellists were Ambassador Washington Abdala, Uruguay’s Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) and Chair of the OAS Permanent Council; Senator Kenneth Pugh (Chile), chair of the committees on Ethics and Transparency and National Defense of the Senate; and Cecilia Danesi, researcher at the Institute for European Studies and Human Rights.
Quotes
Member of the Legislative Assembly Luz Mary Alpízar (Costa Rica), Vice-President for Central America of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network
“As seen today, there are fellow parliamentarians and parliaments in our hemisphere that have been working dedicatedly on issues related to technology and digital rights. Their knowledge and experiences deserve to be acknowledged and shared as they constitute a set of good practices that can enrich the initiatives that are beginning to take shape in relation to the governance of artificial intelligence.”
Member of the Chamber of Representatives Catherine Juvinao (Colombia), Vice-President for South America of the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network
“Today the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network presents its Digital Caucus, a parliamentary working group in which we can generate legislative initiatives that echo not only global regulatory frameworks on artificial intelligence governance but also our own needs, realities and contexts related to this matter.”
Senator Kenneth Pugh (Chile)
“It is important for us legislators to understand the challenge of devising regulatory frameworks for the governance of artificial intelligence that protect people, safeguard our democracies, and promote responsible and ethical use [of A.I.], to which we should aspire. Artificial intelligence is a disruptive technology that, like all technologies, is neither good nor bad in and of itself; its effects will depend on how it is used.”
