UNESCO presents the Artificial Intelligence Readiness Assessment of Mexico

Mexico City, July 3, 2024-. UNESCO launched the Artificial Intelligence Readiness Assessment of Mexico, developed in collaboration with the National Alliance for Artificial Intelligence (ANIA), with the support of the Centro-i for the Society of the Future (Centro-i), through an open and plural process with over 250 people and representatives from federal and different state governments, autonomous bodies, civil organizations, academia, and the private sector.

The new report was presented in the Senate by the Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Social and Human Sciences, Gabriela Ramos, along with Alejandra Lagunes, Senator and promoter of ANIA, and Elena Estavillo, Director of Centro-i and expert consultant for UNESCO.

Multiple studies estimate that AI developments could increase global GDP by between 1.5% and 2% in 10 years and could impact the transformation of 40% to 60% of jobs worldwide. Therefore, UNESCO has led initiatives to prepare countries with data, knowledge generation and their application to guide public policies and governance mechanisms.

Venture capital invested in AI was 150 million dollars as of September 2023, less than the 170 million dollars for the food and beverage industry. But Mexico can improve its revenues by international projecting because its high-tech exports already exceed 14.2%, ranking ninth in the world, and has high professional technical and research capacity.

For example, it registered the highest number of computer science or related master's programs graduates in 2022 in the Latin America and Caribbean region; it ranks sixth in research personnel working specifically in AI, and along with Brazil, they accumulated 95% of AI patents.

Mexico also has a solid regulatory framework for privacy, transparency, and access to information rights. Even if it does not have a specific law or policy for addressing and repairing damages caused by AI systems or for digital contexts, it can tackle several cases by current standards and mechanisms.

However, the country must strengthen its actions addressed to underrepresented groups through inclusion throughout the AI lifecycle stages and digital representation, for example, of its 68 national Indigenous Languages; furthering the significant use of digital platforms; and incorporating Media and Information Literacy into the educational system.

Other recommendations are a single digital identity system launching and its management by an autonomous body, an open data policy beyond open government, diversity and representation of all people, critical assets and services' identification, with specific strategies on prevention and detection, and more.

The report is an implementation of the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM), an instrument of the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence adopted by UNESCO Member States in 2021 to help them identify their stage of progress in the ethical orientation of AI. The RAM also guided the construction of the National Artificial Intelligence Agenda Proposal for Mexico recently presented by ANIA.