UNAM Launches AI Council for Ethics, Innovation

The UNAM launches the AI Coordinating Council to govern institutional technology, set ethical standards, and facilitate industrial partnerships. This framework centralizes AI governance in Mexico, impacting educational policy, intellectual property management, and public-private innovation. 

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) is introducing  the AI Coordinating Council (CCOIA) in Mexico City, which will centralize institutional efforts to align technological advancement with ethical, social, and humanist frameworks. 

The university created this council to provide a strategic governance model that addresses the disruptive nature of AI. The university assumes the responsibility to analyze technological advances and guide their use for the general interest, under the premise that "technology must always be accompanied by a humanist perspective," says Leonardo Lomelí, President, UNAM. 

The university argues that AI constitutes a civilizational shift comparable to the printing press, the steam engine, or electricity. Before this agreement, the university managed these efforts through the Center for Advanced Computing Studies. However, the technology now requires a more robust and transverse governance structure to potentialize institutional capabilities and ensure technological autonomy. 

Rosaura Ruiz, Minister of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation (SECIHTI), says that this action sends a significant signal regarding the responsibility of the university toward Mexico. Ruiz says that AI is one of the greatest scientific transformations of our time and must serve to better understand human capabilities. 

Details Complementing the Agreement

The council promotes mechanisms to connect with the productive sectors and the technology industry to foster knowledge transfer. These alliances will be governed by criteria of social benefit, ethics, and respect for scientific autonomy. Itzul Giron, CEO, Celestial Dynamics, and Elisa Velasco, Head of Global Communication Analysis for the Business Partner Ecosystem, Google Cloud, serve as the first permanent guests representing the productive sectors. 

Giron says that the council provides a unique opportunity to align education, science, and technology to face societal challenges. These partnerships aim to strengthen the employability of graduates and develop joint innovation projects. 

The council is also responsible for establishing the ethical framework that will guide the institutional use of these technologies. Tamara Martinez, Ministry  of Institutional Development, UNAM, says that it is vital for these systems to respect human rights, protect dignity, and reduce inequalities. 

Specific functions of the council include:

• Establishing ethical standards for the responsible use of AI and personal data protection. 
• Defining mechanisms to guarantee the protection of copyrights and intellectual property for content generated or processed by AI. 
• Ensuring that technological applications respect human dignity, transparency, and equity. 

Organizational Structure and Technical Consultation

AI deployment speed is unprecedented and affects almost every aspect of life, says Pablo Pruneda, Coordinator, CCOIA, who leads the council’s general coordination team. 

An Interdisciplinary Academic Committee supports the council by providing technical consultation on emerging trends and scientific frontiers. This committee includes researchers from several fields and cultural outreach experts, among others. Their objective is to provide an innovative vision that aligns technological advancement with the substantive functions of the university.