Panama's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Advances -

(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama) Panama City, Panama: The National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (Senacyt), together with experts from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in the United States, presented on Friday, September 19, the progress made in the formulation of the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy, during an event held at the City of Knowledge. The conclusions of the first phase of work, called“Evaluation of the Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem,” were presented during the event. This study captures the country's main strengths, capabilities, and challenges in this area. According to Senacyt, these findings will serve as a basis for designing concrete proposals to strengthen national technological development.

The scientific institution indicated that it is actively working with Georgia Tech Panama on the design of this strategy, the purpose of which is to position the country as a regional benchmark in the safe, reliable, and ethical application of artificial intelligence. “We want this process to be broadly participatory because we understand the profound implications that AI has for national development. Our expectation is to move toward the formulation of concrete strategic actions and continue to count on the commitment and support of all sectors,” said Dr. Eduardo Ortega Barría, National Secretary of Senacyt. For his part, Dr. Pascal Van Hentenryck, representing the Georgia Institute of Technology, noted that Panama is at a decisive point in its path toward AI adoption, thanks to factors such as its geographic location, its geostrategic value, and its digital connectivity platform, which put it at an advantage to become a regional leader.

AI Ecosystem Assessment

The Analysis Developed by Georgia Tech Focused on Three Main Areas:

• The assessment of the level of ecosystem readiness.
• The formulation of strategic alternatives.
• The design of an implementation plan.

It was learned that in this first phase, a diagnosis was conducted of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing Panama in the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies. The preliminary results were presented during the event, while the final document will be published shortly. Among the identified strengths are the country's digital connectivity potential, installed renewable energy capacity, information assets generated by research centers, and its logistics infrastructure. However, the study also highlights outstanding challenges, such as strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, expanding computing infrastructure, improving data governance, and increasing investment in research and development (R&D).

Citizen Perception and Regional Projection

During the presentation, the results of the National Artificial Intelligence Survey, promoted by Senacyt, were also shared. These results revealed a largely optimistic perception among Panamanians regarding the impact of this technology. According to Georgia Tech, the country has the geostrategic and competitive advantages to establish itself as a regional artificial intelligence hub. However, it cautioned that this potential can only be translated into significant progress if the country ensures sustained investment in human talent, technological infrastructure, and proper data management.

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