The regulations, approved by Decree 787-26, establish controls to guarantee transparency, protect citizens' rights, and regulate the use of automated systems in public institutions
SANTO DOMINGO– The Dominican government approved the Code of Ethics for Artificial Intelligence in Public Services, through Decree 787-26, with the purpose of establishing rules for the development and responsible use of these technologies in state institutions.
The provision seeks to ensure that the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the public administration is carried out under principles of transparency, security, inclusion and respect for human rights.
The initiative was developed through a participatory and multi-sectoral process led by the Government Office of Information and Communication Technologies (Ogtic) and the General Directorate of Ethics and Governmental Integrity (Digeig), with technical support from the Open Government Partnership (OGP).
The document also takes as a reference the international standards established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
What does the Artificial Intelligence Code of Ethics state?
One of the main objectives of the regulations is to regulate the use of automated systems that may influence administrative decisions or directly affect citizens' rights.
In that sense, the code establishes mandatory compliance provisions for the institutions of the centralized and decentralized public administration.
Its main measures include:
1. Ethical and rights impact assessments: Artificial intelligence systems considered to have a high impact, especially those that may affect access to rights, social benefits, or sanctioning decisions, must undergo prior assessments. Furthermore, they will require approval from the supervisory body before becoming operational.
2. Transparency and human review: Citizens will have the right to know when a decision or administrative procedure has been supported by artificial intelligence. They will also be able to request clear explanations and resort to human review mechanisms.
3. Prohibition of certain uses: The code prohibits practices such as generalized social classification, mass biometric identification in public spaces without a court order, predictive criminal profiling based on territorial or socioeconomic biases, the automation of criminal sentences, and the development of autonomous weapons.
4. Protection of children and adolescents: The regulations establish special safeguards for this sector of the population and prohibit the use of artificial intelligence that generates or distributes harmful, abusive or discriminatory content against minors.
5. Digital sovereignty and data protection: Public institutions must require their suppliers to guarantee traceability, cybersecurity, and sovereign control of citizens' data. This aims to prevent the contracting of systems whose operation cannot be audited by the State.
A National AI Ethics Council will be created
As part of the oversight mechanisms, the decree provides for the creation of the National Council for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence, conceived as an advisory and coordinating body.
This body will be made up of state institutions and non-governmental representatives of the Multi-stakeholder Open Government Forum, with the aim of promoting the participation of civil society and academia, as well as monitoring the established provisions.
Similarly, the regulations include a transition period of 180 calendar days for public entities to adapt their internal procedures to the new requirements.
During that period, institutions must register the technological systems they use, designate the responsible officials, and implement the necessary measures to ensure compliance with the code.
Why is it important to regulate artificial intelligence in public services?
Artificial intelligence allows for the automation of processes, the analysis of vast amounts of information, and the streamlining of service delivery. However, its use in public institutions also raises challenges related to privacy, data protection, algorithmic discrimination, and the transparency of administrative decisions.
For this reason, establishing rules for their implementation seeks to prevent technological tools from violating fundamental rights or generating unfair decisions without oversight mechanisms.
In the case of the Dominican Republic, the approval of this code represents a step towards the incorporation of ethical criteria and institutional controls in the digital transformation of the State, ensuring that technological advances are accompanied by guarantees for citizens.
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