President Luis Abinader, the Innovation Cabinet and the Government Office of Information and Communication Technologies (OGTIC), presented the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (ENIA), an exponential technology tool to automate citizen services, bringing them closer to personalized education and creating applications and software in the country that connect Dominican society with a more efficient State.
It also represents an action plan focused on the transformation of institutional infrastructure and productive work models, which will have a direct impact on improving the quality of life of all Dominicans.
The Minister of the Presidency, Joel Santos Echavarría, in his capacity as president of the Innovation Cabinet, indicated that this strategy arises as a fundamental initiative of the National Innovation Policy 2030. It is a roadmap that will develop opportunities within the technological revolution, positioning the country as a leader in the region in artificial intelligence.
“Dominican Republic is the first country in Central America and the Caribbean to launch an Artificial Intelligence Strategy. With this we reaffirm our commitment as a government to peace and international security, exercising responsible leadership in the region through an international treaty to prohibit the use of AI as a weapon of war,” the minister said.
He also announced that the Ministry of the Presidency, OGTIC and Genia Latin America have signed a memorandum of understanding with the fundamental objective of creating the Latam 4.0 Project, as a coalition that integrates the Dominican Government, private companies, academic institutions and civil society organizations in a joint platform to create the hub of human talent and innovation, called #YoSoyFuturoRD and a Data hub in the Dominican Republic, with the aim of promoting industrial 4.0 exports throughout Latin America, through an alliance in that region.
Santos Echavarría said that this government has recognized that Artificial Intelligence has the potential to boost economic growth, improve efficiency in public services and foster innovation in various sectors.
Bartolomé Pujals, executive director of the Innovation Cabinet and general director of the Government Office of Information and Communication Technologies (OGTIC), explained that this strategy comes so that the citizen is part of the country’s progress, through better public and educational services that guarantee the training of Dominicans in Artificial Intelligence.
“ENIA will allow the country to adapt and take advantage of the opportunities of the ongoing technological revolution, to transform the productive model towards a knowledge-based economy, supported by a prepared and equipped workforce and by a vibrant innovation ecosystem that fosters competitive markets and helps to optimize public service,” highlighted Pujals.
Jean García Periche, president of Genia Latin America, indicated that the Dominican Republic should be seen as a regional enclave player, as Artificial Intelligence has become a geopolitical issue, and will be crucial in defining the rules of the world order in this century.
Hostos Rizik, director of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration for the Dominican Republic (CABEI), expressed that from the banking entity, the approval of funds for the artificial intelligence strategy reflects its recognition of the importance of this technology for the economic and social development of the Dominican Republic and the region as a whole.
María Isabel Mejía, senior executive of the Digital Transformation Directorate of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), said that the region’s economy exceeds USD 5 trillion and this translates to Latin America as a whole being the fourth largest economy in the world. The Artificial Intelligence market in Latin America is projected to generate USD 500 billion by 2030.
This strategy has 4 strategic pillars divided by: Smart Government, a pillar that addresses policies related to AI governance through the creation of policies and regulatory frameworks that guide and regulate the responsible and ethical use of technology hand in hand with governance and ethics, AI in public administration and public-private partnerships.
The human talent and innovation hub #YoSoyFuturoRD, through a multi-sectoral coalition of companies, academic institutions, government and civil society organizations, seeks to develop the technical capabilities and skills of the population with the purpose of developing human talent and innovation to achieve economic growth.
Likewise, implement research and development (R&D) projects to strengthen the innovation and artificial intelligence ecosystem in the Dominican Republic with a view to scaling regionally.
The third pillar, data hub, seeks to create a strategic space with advanced technological infrastructure for data processing, storage and analysis in the country. In turn, by promoting technological and data sovereignty, the Dominican Republic would be positioned as a provider of data storage and processing services for the region.
The fourth and final pillar, of regional scale, aims to actively promote a regional AI ecosystem in Central America, the Caribbean and Latin America, through the creation of strategic partnerships with the private sector, academia and civil society in the region.
Source: presidencia.gov.do
