From October 14 to 18, representatives from public institutions in Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay visited AI agencies in Spain and Slovenia in a study trip funded by the TAIEX Instrument. The visit is part of the EU-LAC Digital Alliancewhich fosters cooperation between the EU and Latin America-Caribbean a more human-centric digital transformation.

The delegation from Latin America (LA) visited key AI institutions in Barcelona, Madrid, Ljubljana and Maribor with a focus on algorithmic transparency, research and innovation, and the role of supercomputers in advancing AI technologies. Among the institutions visited by the representatives were the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of AI and Slovenia’s largest supercomputer centre, the Vega Supercomputer.

While the impact of AI on societies, politics and economies is starting to unfold - and is expected to become increasingly significant in the coming decades - European and LAC civil servants are already experiencing similar challenges and opportunities related to AI.

The purpose of the study visit was a peer-to-peer in-person exchange of hands-on experience on AI technologies and policies between the co-leading countries of the AI component of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance. In that line and among other things, the EU and LA representatives shared valuable insights and best practices on establishing AI-related institutions and regulatory policies.

Following this activity, a series of TAIEX online workshops will be organized and offered to train representatives from all countries that are part of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance. These workshops will cover essential topics such as the AI regulation, experiences with the development of AI sandboxes, the use of AI in public administration and the impact of emerging technologies in the labor market, among other topics. The experience from this study visit will also contribute to the upcoming EU-LAC Digital Alliance Policy Dialogue on AI, taking place in November 2024 in Santiago de Chile back-to-back with the eLAC Ministerial Conference, enhancing collaboration between the EU, its Member States and LAC countries in key areas of AI.

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The study visit is part of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance activites and resulted from the EU-LAC AI Dialogue held in Montevideo in March 2024, during the preparatory meeting for the eLAC Ministerial Conference. Learn more about the EU-LAC Digital Alliance here: EU-LAC Digital Alliance | EEAS (europa.eu).

TAIEX is the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument of the European Commission, which funded this study visit. The TAIEX Instrument can provide short-term technical assistance through public sector experts from the EU Member States (in this case, Slovenia and Spain) to partner countries (in this case, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay).