UNESCO and The Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT) of Costa Rica confirmed the country would develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy under the “Recommendation on ethics in artificial intelligence” by UNESCO, also supported by the Andean Development Cooperation (CAF).
MICITT signed a letter of commitment in which both parties commit to developing a national AI policy, accompanying workshops, and identifying AI projects.
The strategy should be presented in august 2023, making Costa Rica the first country in Central America to build an AI policy.
“For UNESCO, it is important to link ethics with artificial intelligence. We are currently working with several countries on this important recommendation. We are very pleased that a country so committed to innovation and responsible development joins this initiative,” noted Alexander Leicht, director of the UNESCO San José Multi-Country Office.
The agreement was signed within the framework of the event “Towards an artificial intelligence strategy in Costa Rica.”
“AI is helping us to solve problems effectively and in a more informed and fair way. AI has enormous potential, but at the same time, it poses great challenges. Thus, it is important that we address these issues proactively and ethically and work together to ensure that AI is used for the well-being of society as a whole,” affirmed Paula Bogantes Zamora, Minister of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications of Costa Rica.
She also expressed her commitment so the country would become part of the “Network of first adopter countries of the Recommendation on ethics in artificial intelligence.”
MICCIT, the Ministry of Health, UNESCO San José, the National Center for High Technology (CeNAT), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the fAIr LAC Initiative for Costa Rica attended the event.
In addition, Minister of Health, Alexei Carrillo, pointed out the importance of these tools for people’s lives.
“Medicine has been practiced the same way for 3,000 years, and that must change. Costa Rica has a great technological and professional capacity, and we can take advantage of this for health,” he added.
According to MICITT, this constitutes the “basis for developing the Artificial Intelligence Strategy,” constructed under an ethical and responsible vision.
