Argentina - Interministerial AI Table (750/2023)

Overview

Decisión Administrativa 750/2023 creates the Mesa Interministerial sobre Inteligencia Artificial as a permanent transversal forum located in the Jefatura de Gabinete de Ministros. Sanctioned on 7 September 2023 and published in the Boletín Oficial on 8 September 2023, the decision establishes the Table to design an integral strategy for the Executive Branch on the development and application of artificial intelligence in diverse sectors of the economy and society, under an explicit ethical, sustainable development and digital transformation framework. The instrument defines an initial set of member jurisdictions and grants the coordinating bodies (initially the Jefatura and the Secretaría de Asuntos Estratégicos) the authority to take the measures necessary for the Table's operation and to invite other public and private actors. The full text of the decision is available on the Presidency's regulatory repository and in the national Official Gazette: Decisión Administrativa 750/2023 (Argentina.gob.ar) and Boletín Oficial – aviso 293710 (08‑Sep‑2023).

Definitions

For the purposes of the decision, "Mesa Interministerial" refers to a cross‑sectoral coordination body composed of designated ministries and secretariats of the national executive. "Coordinator/Presiding body" denotes the authority or secretariats tasked with convening, coordinating and adopting measures for the functioning of the Table. "Strategy integral" denotes a national policy approach to AI spanning ethical, social, economic and technological dimensions. The decision references domestic organizational law (Law of Ministries) and existing decrees regulating the Jefatura's structure and the objectives of secretariats; it does not provide detailed technical definitions of AI, risk classes or sectoral obligations, leaving definitional work to the Table and future derivative measures.

Governance and Institutional Framework

The Mesa is located in the Jefatura de Gabinete de Ministros and was originally prescribed to be presided and coordinated by the Jefatura together with the Secretaría de Asuntos Estratégicos. The membership listed in Article 3 includes the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation; the Ministry of Defense; the Ministry of Economy; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship; the Ministry of Health; the Ministry of Security; the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security and the Secretaría de Asuntos Estratégicos. The coordinating bodies are empowered to invite other jurisdictions and public or private entities as necessary. The decision explicitly states that the measure generates no budgetary expenditure and that permanent legal advisory services intervened. A subsequent modification, Decisión Administrativa 899/2024, updated the leadership: the Table is presided over by the Secretaría de Innovación, Ciencia y Tecnología of the Jefatura and jointly coordinated with the Secretaría de Asuntos Estratégicos; it also amended provisions on membership and invitation/coordination rules. The official texts are accessible at the Presidency site: Text updated (750/2023) and the modifying decision: Decisión Administrativa 899/2024. These governance arrangements situate the Mesa as a high‑level convening and policy‑design forum rather than an enforcement regulator.

Key Focus Areas

The decision sets a policy orientation rather than specific technical obligations. Key focus areas implied by the instrument and by its stated objectives include: (1) designing an integral national AI strategy for the Executive Branch; (2) integrating ethical principles and sustainable development into AI policy; (3) fostering digital transformation across public administration and the economy; (4) coordinating across ministries with sectoral responsibilities (health, defense, labor, security, economy, foreign affairs, science & technology); (5) enabling multi‑stakeholder dialogues by inviting public and private actors and specialized entities; (6) aligning national policy with international processes and standards where appropriate; and (7) ensuring legal and institutional coherence with existing frameworks such as the Law of Ministries and budgetary constraints. While the decision does not itself establish technical standards, risk classes or mandatory conformity assessments, it creates the institutional mechanism expected to propose or recommend such instruments to the Executive in follow‑on measures.

Implementation Framework

Implementation responsibilities are delegated to the coordinating bodies named in the decision: initially the Jefatura de Gabinete and the Secretaría de Asuntos Estratégicos, and after the 2024 modification the Secretaría de Innovación, Ciencia y Tecnología presiding jointly with the Secretaría de Asuntos Estratégicos. Those coordinators are authorized to adopt measures necessary for the functioning of the Table — for example, issuing meeting schedules, forming technical working groups, requesting inputs from ministries or external experts, and accepting proposals presented by specialized entities or stakeholders. The decision expressly permits invitations to other public or private actors and does not establish a dedicated budget line; the instrument thereby relies on existing administrative structures and inter‑agency resource allocation for implementation. Practical implementation will likely include creation of working groups on ethics, data protection, labor impacts, sectoral deployments and international engagement, with periodic reporting to the Jefatura and suggestions for executive action where regulatory or programmatic steps are recommended.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The decision contains limited prescriptive language on monitoring and evaluation; it primarily tasks the coordinators with ensuring the Table functions and designs the national strategy. Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms (e.g., KPIs, reporting cadence, public transparency or impact assessments) are not specified and are left to the Table's internal rules and future implementing instruments. Given Argentina's administrative practice, expected monitoring could include periodic reports to the Jefatura, technical deliverables from working groups, consultation records with invited actors and, if adopted, integration of strategy milestones into the coordinating secretariats' planning processes. The absence of a mandated public reporting schedule in the decision means transparency and evaluation will depend on subsequent decisions or resolutions adopted by the coordinators or participating ministries.

Penalties, Liability, and Appeals

Decisión Administrativa 750/2023 is an organizational decision and does not establish new penalties, administrative sanctions or liability regimes. The decision states it creates no budgetary impact and does not assign enforcement powers. Therefore, any penalties or appeal routes would derive from subsequent regulatory measures or from existing administrative and judicial frameworks applicable to public officials, regulated sectors and private actors. The later modification 899/2024 similarly amends governance provisions without introducing sanctions. In practice, liability and enforcement issues connected to AI deployment (data protection breaches, discrimination, consumer protection, security incidents) remain governed by existing laws (e.g., data protection framework, sectoral health and safety rules) until the Table or the Executive issues substantive regulatory measures.

Relationship to Other Instruments

The decision cites and operates within Argentina's constitutional and administrative framework (Article 100 of the National Constitution; Law of Ministries as organized by Decree No. 438/1992) and refers to the organigram/secretariat objectives approved by Decree No. 50/2019 and its modifications. The Table is expressly designed as a coordination and strategy body for the Executive Branch and therefore complements existing sectoral rules. Decisión Administrativa 899/2024 modifies Article 2 and substitutes Articles 3 and 4 of 750/2023 to update presiding and coordinating authorities and membership rules. The instrument does not repeal prior laws but creates an interministerial governance mechanism to propose, harmonize and advise on future instruments that may implement technical, regulatory or enforcement rules concerning AI.

International Alignment

The decision explicitly contemplates international engagement by including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs among participants and by authorizing coordination that may address Argentina's insertion in regional and multilateral fora. The Secretariat of Strategic Affairs and the Secretariat of Innovation are natural interlocutors with international initiatives (e.g., OECD, OAS, G20, MERCOSUR) on AI governance and data policy. The Table's mandate to design an integral strategy provides a vehicle to align national policy with international standards, good practices and multilateral commitments, and to coordinate diplomatic and technical participation. Public communications and subsequent outputs from the Mesa are likely to influence Argentina's positions in international standard‑setting and capacity‑building initiatives.

Implementation Timeline

Sources and References