AI regulation in Guyana (2026)

There is no enacted comprehensive AI statute, sectoral AI regulation, or AI bill tabled in the National Assembly. Government commentary and US/EU developments are cited as motivation, but no concrete domestic AI legislation has been introduced.

President Irfaan Ali said 'the time has come' for government to develop AI policies, structures and regulations, and that all three branches of government must address AI's impact — framing it as future work rather than existing law.

The Data Protection Act No. 18 of 2023 was enacted (gazetted 16 August 2023) and establishes a Data Protection Office and Commissioner appointed by the President; it governs personal-data processing generally but is not AI-specific.

As of late 2025, reports indicate the Commissioner had not been appointed and the Data Protection Office not established, with an EU observer mission urging activation of the law — limiting even the indirect protections relevant to AI.

At the 2026 IPU Assembly, Minister Kwame McCoy called for strengthened legislative frameworks, oversight and institutional capacity to govern AI, flagging risks like disinformation, algorithmic bias, and AI-generated harms — signalling intent, not enacted rules.

Guyana is covered by the UNESCO Caribbean AI Policy Roadmap, a voluntary regional framework promoting digital competencies, fairness/accountability, and policy cooperation; it is advisory and not adopted as binding national Guyanese policy.

Guyana is actively deploying AI (notably AI-assisted radiology/pathology via a Mount Sinai partnership and telemedicine across ~130 sites) but governs it through general data-protection provisions rather than any AI-specific legal framework.