Late last month, the DigiAmericas Coalition and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce co-hosted their “AI and Cybersecurity: A Leadership Dialogue in the Americas” event on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York City. The event brought together industry executives, high-level government representatives, and multilateral institutional leaders from across Latin America, and builds on a flurry of related activities in recent months - including the Latin American and Caribbean AI Summit hosted by Colombia in August 2024. 

The dialogue began with a panel focused on “Building Cyber Resilience in the Age of AI.” The discussion delved into the utility of integrating AI into both defensive and offensive cyber strategy, as well as the challenges this can pose - particularly when it comes to establishing strong governance, the integrity of the models that underpin AI, and investing in workforce development. Participants highlighted numerous resources, including the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s AI Principles document, which was released in 2019 and updated this year. Participants also noted the influence of new regulation, such as the European Union’s AI Act.

The second panel focused on “International Collaboration and Policy Frameworks,” reflecting on bilateral and multilateral efforts aimed at addressing AI-related cyber threats, as well as some of the diplomatic challenges that exist around international cybersecurity cooperation. Participants noted the need for proactive policy development across the Latin American region, with a focus on capacity-building and leveraging existing frameworks and best practices like the EU AI Act - just as Brazil has emulated with their own proposed Artificial Intelligence Legal Framework. 

Participants also highlighted that policy development should not be rushed, and emphasis should also be placed on the development of relevant certifications, especially from a consumer perspective. The discussion referenced several multilateral efforts, including the UK’s 2023 AI Safety Summit, which led to the signing of the Bletchley Declaration by 28 countries. This year, the AI Safety Summit was held in South Korea and led to both an industry initiative on “Frontier AI Safety Commitments”, and a new statement was signed by 27 countries. An additional AI Safety Summit will be held in France in the fall.

Conversations like these are crucial - not just for bringing together stakeholders across the public and private sector, but for robustly digging into the opportunities and challenges for enhanced international cooperation when it comes to AI and cybersecurity. We look forward to more of these, and hope to see you at UNGA 2025!

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