Chile launches AI coalition with 13 cities

Chile’s Ministry of Science launched a coalition of 13 municipalities on May 20 to speed the use of artificial intelligence in local government, tying the effort to a broader push to modernize public services. The program, called Ciudades por la Inteligencia Artificial, was presented at La Moneda in Santiago with President José Antonio Kast, Science Minister Ximena Lincolao and municipal leaders in attendance. The ministry said the selected cities will receive technical support, training and help identifying public-sector problems that can be addressed with responsible AI. IDB Lab, the innovation arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, said the municipalities will join CIIAR Chile under its regional GovTech Connect initiative. ### Which cities are in the first group? IDB Lab said 13 municipalities were chosen from 38 applicants for the coalition’s first stage. The selected municipalities are Providencia, Vitacura, Renca, Maipú, Santiago, Valparaíso, La Serena, Temuco, Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Vallenar and Coquimbo. Providencia Mayor Jaime Bellolio said the participating municipalities came from different parts of Chile and were joining to work together on how to incorporate AI into public management “de manera responsable, con un foco público.” Bellolio said his municipality was already using the technology to improve services, make processes more efficient and ease day-to-day tasks. (minciencia.gob.cl) (bidlab.org) ### Who is backing the coalition? The May 20 launch in Santiago was led by the Science Ministry with IDB Lab and included the Red de Innovación Local, or RIL, through the GovTech Connect framework. The ministry said the event also included Subdere, Corfo, Start-Up Chile, the CTCI council and other public and academic institutions. (providencia.cl) A March 17 ministry notice said the coalition was being developed by RIL and IDB Lab to select cities able to develop, implement and scale data- and AI-based solutions. That earlier call said municipalities would need a digital transformation plan and a sustained commitment to the program. ### What will the municipalities actually do? The Science Ministry said the 13 municipalities will receive technical accompaniment, training and support to identify public challenges that can be addressed through responsible AI solutions. (minciencia.gob.cl) The ministry described the goal as putting the technology “al servicio de las personas, los territorios y una mejor gestión pública.” (minciencia.gob.cl) IDB Lab said participating municipalities will spend the next three years in training, peer exchange with other local governments in the region, technical support and direct engagement with the innovation ecosystem. The initiative is intended to produce concrete pilot solutions that can be replicated and scaled for municipal challenges. ### How does this fit into Chile’s wider AI policy? (minciencia.gob.cl) Chile’s national AI action plan includes 177 initiatives coordinated by 14 ministries, according to the Science Ministry’s AI policy page. The ministry says the plan is designed to guide ethical, inclusive and strategic adoption of AI and includes work on governance, training and public-sector implementation. Ximena Lincolao said at the launch that the agenda was not only about adding new digital tools but about preparing the country for future challenges. (bidlab.org) She said AI was no longer an experimental technology and called it “infraestructura crítica para el desarrollo de los países.” ### What comes next for the coalition? (minciencia.gob.cl) IDB Lab said the municipalities will now enter the GovTech Connect network, where the next phase includes training, peer learning and development of pilot solutions over three years. The regional program expects to train more than 1,200 public officials in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay and develop at least 100 GovTech solutions that can be replicated across the region. (bidlab.org) (minciencia.gob.cl)