From Data to Principles: Crafting Mexico’s AI Law

Mexico’s Senate is advancing a comprehensive effort to regulate and promote AI through a national framework designed to ensure responsible development, ethical use, and technological competitiveness, explains Senator Rolando Zapata, President, Senate’s AI Commission.

“This General Law aims to establish, on a horizontal axis, a framework that distributes powers and responsibilities among the federal government, state governments, and municipalities, across different levels of authority, while also fostering the participation of the main stakeholders involved in AI in Mexico,” says Zapata.

The commission, established for the first time in Mexico’s legislative history, is working to create a General Law on AI that would both encourage AI innovation and set clear parameters for its governance. According to Zapata, this initiative aims to balance flexibility, inclusiveness, and ethical standards to keep pace with rapid technological evolution, while fostering Mexico’s growth as a regional AI leader.

Since its formation, the commission has held six forums between December and April, bringing together around 80 experts from the public, private, academic, and social sectors. The results include a consolidated report, complete transcripts of over 300 interventions, and a draft proposal for the legal framework.

This proposal envisions a systematic review of at least 17 existing laws — including those on health, education, data protection, intellectual property, and environmental regulation — to integrate AI-specific considerations.

This process will allow AI principles and standards to be reflected across multiple legal domains, explains Zapata. “We are not seeking to create rigid laws that quickly become obsolete,” he adds. “Instead, we want a flexible framework that establishes principles and values adaptable to technological change.”

The proposed framework acknowledges that AI is a global technology whose infrastructure often lies outside Mexico. Consequently, Zapata emphasizes the importance of aligning national standards with international partners, particularly within North America, to leverage trade agreements and strengthen Mexico’s position in the regional AI ecosystem.

Additionally, the proposal incorporates a structured risk evaluation model inspired by the approach taken by the European Union: classifying AI systems by levels of risk, ranging from unacceptable to minimal, and tailoring oversight accordingly.

Beyond the legal dimension, Zapata stresses the importance of developing a National AI Strategy to define responsibilities for government, private industry, and educational institutions. Key elements of the proposed legislation include principles on ethics and human rights, governance and coordination mechanisms, education and digital literacy, research and technological development, transparency, and accountability. It also calls for the creation of a national authority on AI to oversee implementation and coordination across sectors.

By pursuing this initiative, Mexico seeks to establish itself as a regional leader in ethical and sustainable AI governance, promoting innovation while ensuring that technology serves public interest and national development, explains Zapata.