AI regulation in Panama (2026)

Approved in first legislative debate (primer debate) by Panama's National Assembly in April 2026. Presented by Deputy Jorge Bloise and unified with companion bills by Deputies Cheng and Cedeño, it establishes an adaptive AI governance model intended to avoid rigid standards that could stifle innovation. Full enactment requires additional debates and executive promulgation.

Anteproyecto 162 (August 2024, later filed as Proyecto de Ley 181/2025) and Anteproyecto 339 (2025) both sought to regulate AI development, use, and human-rights obligations, including a six-month worker-reallocation requirement before AI-driven layoffs. These fed into the consolidated PL 588 process.

SENACYT, in partnership with Georgia Tech and the National Authority for Government Innovation (AIG), is co-designing a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy built on four axes: Smart Use, Smart Development, Smart Training, and Smart Partnerships. A first draft was targeted for mid-2025 multi-sector validation; progress was publicly reported in September 2025.

Panama's primary existing instrument touching AI systems is Law 81 of 2019, which establishes individual rights over personal data and obligations on automated processing — serving as the de facto baseline for AI data-handling rules until dedicated AI legislation is enacted.

Law 478 of August 2025 reformed Panama's Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure to strengthen cybercrime provisions and international cooperation, providing ancillary coverage of AI-enabled offences without constituting direct AI regulation.

Among Central American nations, Panama is one of the most active in AI legislative initiatives as of early 2026, though no country in the region has yet enacted a comprehensive AI statute. Panama's adaptive-governance approach distinguishes it from more prescriptive models discussed elsewhere in Latin America.