Chile’s Artificial Intelligence Regulation Bill Advances to the Senate
Lawmakers seek to balance rights protection, innovation, and accountability in emerging technologies.
The Chilean Chamber of Deputies has approved and forwarded to the Senate a bill establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The proposal, which merges government and parliamentary initiatives, aims to protect fundamental rights, promote innovation, and ensure the ethical development of AI in line with democratic principles and the rule of law.
The bill, presented under bulletins 15869 and 16821, was introduced by President Gabriel Boric’s administration and incorporates input from an AI Experts Committee, as well as consultations with industry, academia, and civil society. It draws on international standards, including recommendations from UNESCO and the OECD, to create enforceable, risk-based obligations for developers, deployers, and users of AI systems.
The proposed law regulates how AI systems are used, rather than the technology itself, applying a proportional, risk-based approach. Requirements will vary depending on the potential impact of each system, with stricter oversight in areas where AI could affect health, safety, or fundamental rights.
According to Science Minister Aldo Valle, the goal is not to decide whether Chile will use AI, but ‘under which rules it will be used.’ He described the bill as offering ‘three assurances: protected rights, enabled innovation, and public trust.’
The bill classifies AI systems into four categories:
- Unacceptable risk, which are banned outright for violating fundamental rights.
- High risk, which may harm rights if misused or poorly designed.
- Limited risk, which pose minimal risks of manipulation or error.
- No evident risk, covering uses outside the above categories.
Among the prohibited applications are subliminal manipulation techniques that induce harmful behaviour or undermine decision-making, except for therapeutic uses with explicit consent.
Lawmakers approved amendments to reinforce data privacy and transparency. The Council for Transparency’s mandate was expanded under Law 20.285, and new obligations were added for AI systems generating synthetic content, including audio, images, videos, or text, to label such material or disclose when it has been artificially altered.
However, some proposals from the original draft, such as the creation of an independent advisory council and a dedicated enforcement authority, did not advance.
To improve implementation, the government introduced August 2025 amendments aligning the bill with the National Data Centres Plan and recognising the State’s role in enabling AI infrastructure. The revised version also calls for AI literacy programmes and measures to foster safe innovation.
The Ministry of Science described the initiative as part of Chile’s broader effort to promote responsible technological development, ensuring that innovation and rights protection advance in tandem.
‘Artificial intelligence only makes sense if it expands rights, improves quality of life, and strengthens democracy,’ Minister Valle said, adding that Chile’s approach places technology ‘at the service of human dignity and the common good.’
