The country of tomorrow, anchored in digital yesterday
It seems that Mexico, the world’s twelfth economic power (yes, they always mention it, as if that were enough), has decided to adopt a peculiarly contemplative approach towards artificial intelligence. While more than fifty nations have stepped up since 2017 with official strategies, our beloved country opted for the philosophy of “already merit.” Why rush to define a regulatory framework when we can wait for technology to catch up to us, pass us by, and then see what we do?
This delicious institutional lag was put on the table during the launch of the Alliance for Technological Innovation (AIT) in Mexico City. Its objective is as noble as it is ambitious: to try to bring together the government, academia and the private sector. Come on, try to get three entities that usually talk to each other with smoke signals to agree on something on an issue that moves at the speed of light. What could go wrong?
Experts warn: the future arrived a while ago, but they did not let it pass
Pablo Pruneda Gross, coordinator of the Research Line in Law and Artificial Intelligence at UNAM, said it without mincing words, something rare in these parts: “Our country does not have a national strategy in artificial intelligence.” Wow, what a surprise. He stressed that it is essential to establish state public policy guidelines. Translation: we urgently need to stop improvising and get serious.
The expert, with a patience that deserves a medal, listed the areas where AI is already doing its thing: health, education, justice, industry, the environment and even democratic processes. But, surprise, he also mentioned some minor risks, such as algorithmic biases, information manipulation, and autonomous weapons systems. Unimportant things, surely.
And so that we don’t think that the world stopped waiting for us, he updated us: the European Union implemented its Artificial Intelligence Law in 2021, with a classification scheme by risk levels. China, for its part, oriented its regulation towards political control and national security (nothing to do with us, of course). And the United States, our neighbor to the north, although it has a fragmented framework and without comprehensive federal legislation, at least has agencies like NIST and the FTC issuing technical guidelines. Meanwhile, in Mexico… well, we have faith and good will.
Politics to the rescue: promises, proposals and the ghost of obsolescence
In a predictable plot twist, PRI senator Rolando Zapata Bello, president of the AI Commission, entered the scene, presenting a proposal in the Upper House to establish a general regulatory framework. His warning was poetically bureaucratic: “A rigid regulation runs the risk of becoming immediately obsolete.” Wow, looks like someone realized that technology is moving fast. Instead, it proposes regulation based on flexible governance principles and mechanisms. It sounds good, although one cannot help but wonder if flexibility in our legislative system will not end up being synonymous with “we leave it for the next legislature.”
The AIT, with an optimism that borders on the heroic, stressed that Mexico has a strategic opportunity within the framework of the T-MEC. The idea is to align regulatory criteria with the United States and Canada to strengthen regional competitiveness. In other words, the opportunity to do what we probably should have done years ago, but with the added pressure of not being the weakest link in the chain. Motivation!
But not everything is legislation and international treaties. The uncomfortable truths arrived. Lizet Quintero Trujillo, from HubSpot, released a fact that should set off all the alarms: only 3% of Mexican companies have quality information to feed AI systems. Before we ride the wave, he warned, we must ensure that the data is reliable. Come on, we want to build technological skyscrapers on sand foundations. Brilliant.
And in case the panorama was not bleak enough, Héctor Cárdenas Suárez, president of COMEXI, recalled the small detail of educational investment. It turns out that it is below the average recommended by the OECD. “If we do not correct this trend, we will not be able to take advantage of the potential of the digital economy,” he noted. A truism so obvious that it hurts. Without a national strategy and without education, trying to insert yourself into global value chains is like trying to win a Grand Prix with a supermarket cart.
To close with a touch of hope (or perhaps just wishful thinking), Alberto Farca, from the Mexico Digital Center, advocated for a flexible regulatory framework that does not limit innovation, citing the example of Japan. “A rigid scheme could stifle emerging companies and favor only large corporations,” he said. You are right. The last thing we need is for regulation to become the security guard who, with the best of intentions, keeps everyone out, including those who could do something great.
The panel, in a rare moment of unanimity, agreed that artificial intelligence represents a strategic opportunity for Mexico. The condition: that there is a miraculous coordination between the State, private initiative and academia, along with sustained investment in education, digital infrastructure and technological governance. In other words, basically, a miracle happens. But hey, dreaming doesn’t cost anything. And meanwhile, the world keeps turning, and so does AI.
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