AI regulation in Guatemala: laws & policy (2026)

Legal framework

No AI law in force; National AI Strategy (ENIA) under co-creation led by the Comisión Presidencial de Gobierno Abierto y Electrónico (GAE) with UNDP support; legislative bill pending in Congress

Key points: artificial intelligence in Guatemala

1. 01No AI Law in Force

   Guatemala has not enacted any dedicated AI legislation. The country lacks fundamental data protection laws, clear institutional AI supervisory authority, and mechanisms to hold companies accountable for AI-caused harm. Existing intellectual property, cybersecurity, and general civil frameworks apply by default.

   consortiumlegal.com dialogos.org.gt

2. 02ENIA Co-Creation Process

   The Guatemalan government launched a participatory co-creation process for a National AI Strategy (ENIA) through the GAE commission, funded by the EU and the Joint SDG Fund. Strategy formulation ran October 2025-March 2026, with validation and public presentation planned for June 2026, and governance/roadmap development scheduled through October 2026.

   participacionciudadana.gob.gt undp.org

3. 03AI Landscape Assessment (AILA)

   In October 2025, GAE and UNDP launched the AI Landscape Assessment for Guatemala as part of the global 'AI Sprint' initiative. The assessment maps current AI capabilities, identifies ecosystem gaps, and forms the evidence base for the forthcoming national strategy.

   gae.gob.gt guatemala.un.org

4. 04Congressional AI Bill (Deepfakes/Misuse)

   Deputy Julio Portillo introduced a bill in October 2025 to regulate AI use, specifically targeting deepfakes, identity spoofing, and AI-generated false content. It proposes criminal penalties for unauthorized creation or distribution of AI-manipulated images, audio, or video. As of early 2026 the bill has not been assigned to a working commission.

   congreso.gob.gt republica.com

5. 05Regional Context and EU Influence

   Guatemala, alongside Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, has not yet adopted any AI regulatory material. Regional analysis notes that Central American countries may follow the pattern of 'tropicalizing' EU AI Act principles rather than building independent frameworks from scratch.

   consortiumlegal.com arxiv.org

6. 06Governance Readiness Assessment

   Independent policy analysis rates Guatemala's AI regulation and ethics at 1.5 out of 5 ('Basic'), noting persistent absence of normative frameworks, unclear institutional authority, and no risk-based regulatory mechanisms adapted to local capacity.

   dialogos.org.gt dialogos.org.gt

Timeline of decisions

1. 8 Jul 2026Incident
   Investigative Exposé: 122 AI Surveillance Contracts Awarded Without Legal Safeguards

   Agencia Ocote and the Pulitzer Center documented that Guatemalan state agencies awarded at least 122 AI-related surveillance contracts between 2022 and 2026 — including facial recognition across Guatemala City's 4,000-camera C4 monitoring network and 500+ cameras in Antigua — totalling Q69.9 million, 91% via direct purchase bypassing public bidding, all with no data-protection law or algorithmic-oversight framework in place.

   Agencia Ocote

2. 3 Dec 2025Law
   Bill 6657 (PRODIGI) Introduced: First AI-Specific Legislation

   Deputy Julio Portillo introduced Initiative 6657, Guatemala's first AI-specific draft law, proposing fines up to Q500,000 and 3–6 years imprisonment for malicious creation or distribution of AI-generated deepfakes; the bill remained pending committee review in Congress with no vote taken.

   La Hora

3. 1 Oct 2025Decision · official
   UNDP AI Landscape Assessment (AILA) Launched by GAE

   The Presidential Commission on Open and Electronic Government (GAE), with UNDP support and EU financing through the Joint SDG Fund, launched a participatory AI Landscape Assessment to map capabilities, identify governance gaps, and build the evidence base for a National AI Strategy; UNDP scored Guatemala's AI readiness at 2.0 out of 5, citing weak governance and absent talent pipelines.

   Comisión Presidencial GAE (gae.gob.gt)

4. 1 Jan 2025Guidance · official
   GAE Strategic Institutional Plan 2026–2030 Embeds AI as Priority

   Guatemala's Presidential Open Government Commission published its PEI 2026–2030, formally incorporating AI strategy development, digital skills for 140+ public servants across 20 institutions, and open-data governance as state institutional priorities — the first government planning document to name AI explicitly.

   Comisión Presidencial GAE (gae.gob.gt)

5. 9 Aug 2024Decision · official
   Guatemala Signs Cartagena de Indias Declaration on Ethical AI

   Guatemala joined 16 other Latin American and Caribbean nations at the Second Ministerial Summit in Cartagena in signing a declaration committing to ethical AI governance, inclusive AI ecosystems, and AI education aligned with the UNESCO Recommendation — the country's first formal multilateral AI commitment.

   MinTIC Colombia (mintic.gov.co)

6. 1 Jan 2024Decision · official
   UNESCO AI Ethics Readiness Assessment (RAM) Conducted, Led by SENACYT

   Guatemala's national science and technology secretariat SENACYT led the first implementation of UNESCO's Readiness Assessment Methodology, a diagnostic of Guatemala's legal, social, economic, and technical preparedness to implement the UNESCO Recommendation on AI Ethics; findings directly fed into the subsequent AILA and national AI strategy process.

   UNESCO (unesco.org)

7. 23 Nov 2021Guidance · official
   Guatemala Adopts UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

   All 193 UNESCO member states, including Guatemala, unanimously adopted the first global normative instrument on AI, establishing binding-in-spirit principles on human rights, transparency, accountability, and sustainability that now anchor Guatemala's domestic AI governance discussions and subsequent regional declarations.

   UNESCO (unesdoc.unesco.org)

Sources

1. 1.participacionciudadana.gob.gt/processes/IA
2. 2.gae.gob.gt/evaluacion-del-panorama-de-ia-aila-para-guatemala/
3. 3.guatemala.un.org/es/311127-evaluaci%C3%B3n-de-ia-en-guatemala
4. 4.undp.org/es/guatemala/blog/guatemala-avanza-hacia-un-uso-inclusivo-responsable
5. 5.congreso.gob.gt/noticias_congreso/14644/2025/1
6. 6.republica.com/politica/portillo-impulsa-ley-de-ia-en-medio-de-criticas-y-desconfian
7. 7.consortiumlegal.com/en/2026/02/23/regulatory-landscape-of-artificial-intelligence-in-cent
8. 8.dialogos.org.gt/esta-guatemala-preparada-para-la-inteligencia-artificial/
9. 9.arxiv.org/pdf/2508.08315
10. 10.dialogos.org.gt/como-puede-guatemala-regular-la-inteligencia-artificial-una-propuesta