Jorge F. Negrete P.
Robert Dahl: “Democracy means many different things to different people in different times and places.”
Conclusion. Words and their meaning are polysemic in the West and the world. They mean different things in each country and region. We believe we understand when we talk about democracy, republic, human rights, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital rights. This happens in the same way with fundamental rights in each country and region of Ibero-America.
In terms of Artificial Intelligence, Europe has adopted the first legally binding international treaty aimed at guaranteeing respect for human rights, the rule of law and democratic legal norms in the use of Artificial Intelligence.
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović, stated that “the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence is the first global treaty of its kind that will ensure that Artificial Intelligence respects the rights of people. It is a response to the need for an international legal standard, supported by States from different continents that share the same values, to take advantage of the benefits of Artificial Intelligence and mitigate its risks. With this new treaty, we aim to ensure responsible use of AI that respects human rights, the rule of law and democracy.”
What a problem the Council of Europe has. It means respecting human rights, considering them equal in each country; respect the rule of law and democracy in a binding manner. All of them are polysemic concepts and interpreted differently in each Latin American country.
Let’s imagine what President Pedro Sánchez of Spain, Milei of Argentina, Ortega in Nicaragua, Petro in Colombia, AMLO in Mexico and Boric in Chile think about democracy, freedom of expression or access to public information.
The learning systems of each Artificial Intelligence learn from global and regional training processes, so its performance or response can be confusing at certain times when it must be used for the purposes of national security, public safety, economic competition, judicial processes or designing public policy.
Europe believes that the political and democratic values of the West belong to it, but it is enough to see the conflicts between Mexico and Ecuador, Spain and Argentina, republicans and democrats in the USA and France, Italy and Spain in Europe, to see the polysemy on concepts of Western democracy.
Its impact on the digital world is enormous. How can we talk about digital rights if their agenda is raised by Spain at the Segib (Ibero-American summit of presidents) and is the result, not of a constitutional rationality based on fundamental rights and AI, but of a geopolitical agenda against companies of Chinese and American digital technology? The problem of regulating, or not, Artificial Intelligence begins with the legal structure, on the one hand, and with public policy, on the other.
The governments of the region are busy with the local political agenda, in an atmosphere charged with ideology. They lack information, practical approaches and public policy design. The pendulum of the populist left and right defines their priorities.
From legislation, parliaments have stability and projection. There are splendid legislators who study and ponder with legislative rationality, close to prudence and long-term vision.
The CAF bank demonstrated enormous political reflexes and presented its “Artificial Intelligence Public Policy Design”, a splendid work that trusts in the opportunities of public policy, despite governments. A catalog of options and alternatives for the use of AI from public action.
First: Latin American Digital Market; second, integration of the legislative vision and meanwhile, faith in action and public policy.
President of Digital Policy Law
X / @fernegretep