Country framework

Costa Rica AI country framework

Architecture of public policy, regulation, technical guidelines and institutional adoption of AI within the Costa Rican State.

Costa Rica already has principles, strategy, technical guidelines and institutional adoption. The pending gap is turning that framework into shared, verifiable and actionable procedures for public institutions.

Last update: June 2026

Quick indicators

What the country framework already shows, in verifiable numbers.

National strategy

ENIA 2024-2027

Action Plan

Inter-institutional implementation

AI chapter in the CNTD

Mandatory technical guidelines

Legislative files

None approved yet

Institutions with verified AI

Judiciary, CCSS, Hacienda, MEP, MICITT, UCR and CENAT

Projects mapped

18 operational, 4 pilot, 1 planned

Layered architecture

Country framework architecture

The AI framework in Costa Rica does not rely on a single document. It is built from layers with different function, scope and institutional force. Some guide, some bind, some are in process and others show real adoption.

Layer 1
International principles
Referential
Instruments
OECD, global recommendations and public-policy tools.
Function
Frame the national conversation on trustworthy AI, rights, transparency, robustness, accountability and responsible innovation.
Scope
Country level
Force
Referential
Gap it leaves
Does not translate principles into concrete institutional procedures.
Layer 2
National strategy
Guiding
Instruments
ENIA 2024-2027, Action Plan and associated diagnostics such as AILA.
Function
Defines priorities, country vision, action lines and inter-institutional commitments for AI development and adoption.
Scope
National and inter-institutional
Force
Guiding and coordinating
Gap it leaves
Does not by itself set the daily procedure each institution must follow when adopting, procuring, evaluating or scaling AI systems.
Layer 3
CNTD, AI chapter
Mandatory
Instruments
National Digital Technologies Code, Executive Decree 44507-MICITT, Chapter 7 on Artificial Intelligence.
Function
Sets technical and governance criteria for public-sector digital initiatives, including risk management, security, maintenance, technical standards, sustainability, monitoring and incident response.
Scope
Public sector
Force
Mandatory for State digital initiatives and projects
Gap it leaves
Sets guidelines and controls, but does not yet function as a single operational playbook with standardized forms, roles, evidence, risk thresholds and approval flows.
View Decree 44507-MICITT at PGR View current CNTD at MICITT
Layer 4
Bills in process
Not in force
Instruments
5 legislative files on general AI regulation, regulatory sandboxes, electoral AI, deepfakes, personal traits and digital creations.
Function
Aims to establish rights, duties, institutional limits, responsibilities and control mechanisms.
Scope
National
Force
Not yet in force
Gap it leaves
With no approved law, Costa Rica operates without a specific AI legal framework. Even with a law, an operational layer translating legal duties into institutional procedures will still be necessary.
Layer 5
Public adoption
Operational
Instruments
23 AI projects across 7 institutions: Judiciary, CCSS, Hacienda, MEP, MICITT, UCR and CENAT (18 operational, 4 pilot, 1 planned).
Function
Shows where AI is already in use in production, pilot or verified projects within the public sector. The current inventory includes 18 operational, 4 pilot and 1 planned projects.
Scope
Institutional and sectoral
Force
Operational, per institution
Gap it leaves
Adoption happens with different levels of documentation, standards and governance, without a common public methodology across the State.
In addition to production projects, there are sectoral governance instruments such as the Basic Guidelines for the use of Authorized Generative AI in the Judiciary. These are relevant but do not amount to a national framework applicable to the entire State.
Layer 6
Common procedure pending
Pending
Instruments
National public-AI playbook (pending).
Function
Turn principles, strategy and guidelines into verifiable procedures for institutional teams.
Scope
Costa Rican public sector
Force
Shared operational guidance, ideally linked to the CNTD and the digital-government model
Gap it leaves
Risk, procurement, human oversight, traceability, audit, pilot-to-production transition, incidents, user rights and service continuity.

Costa Rica already has a framework. The next step is turning it into shared operational capacity.

Country milestones

AI governance milestones in Costa Rica

Unlike the institutional adoption timeline, this view shows the evolution of the country framework: documents, guidelines, regulation, international engagement and strategic decisions.

2019
OECD AI Principles: first intergovernmental standard for trustworthy AI, with Costa Rica among the adherent countries in Latin America
2023
First legislative files on AI submitted to the Legislative Assembly
2024
Publication of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (ENIA 2024-2027)
2024
Incorporation of Chapter 7 on AI into the CNTD (Decree 44507-MICITT)
2025
ENIA Action Plan
2025
Progress of substitute texts and legislative reports on AI
2026
Consolidation of the public inventory of AI projects across the State
Pending
General AI law or regulatory framework approved
Pending
National operational playbook for public AI adoption

Comparative matrix

What each instrument solves

Not all instruments play the same role. Some define principles, others set strategic direction, others fix technical guidelines, and others seek to create legal obligations. This matrix shows what exists, who it applies to and what gap it leaves.

Instrument	Type	Scope	Force	What it solves	What it does not solve	Status
OECD Principles	Reference	Country	Referential	Ethical and political framework for trustworthy AI.	Provides no institutional procedures.	In force
ENIA 2024-2027	Strategy	Country	Guiding	Country priorities and vision for AI.	Does not define a daily operational protocol.	In force
ENIA Action Plan	Strategic implementation	Inter-institutional	Guiding	Inter-institutional commitments and tasks.	Does not standardize daily execution per institution.	In force
CNTD, Chapter 7 AI	Technical guideline	Public sector	Mandatory	Technical criteria and governance controls.	Does not descend to a detailed institutional playbook.	In force
AI bills	Regulation	Country	Not in force	Eventual legal framework of rights and duties.	Does not solve current public operations.	In process
Basic Guidelines for the use of Authorized Generative AI in the Judiciary	Sectoral	Judiciary	Operational	Authorized internal use of generative AI within the Judiciary.	Does not apply to the State at large.	In force

OECD Principles

Referential

Type: Reference
Scope: Country
Status: In force
What it solves: Ethical and political framework for trustworthy AI.
What it does not solve: Provides no institutional procedures.

ENIA 2024-2027

Guiding

Type: Strategy
Scope: Country
Status: In force
What it solves: Country priorities and vision for AI.
What it does not solve: Does not define a daily operational protocol.

ENIA Action Plan

Guiding

Type: Strategic implementation
Scope: Inter-institutional
Status: In force
What it solves: Inter-institutional commitments and tasks.
What it does not solve: Does not standardize daily execution per institution.

CNTD, Chapter 7 AI

Mandatory

Type: Technical guideline
Scope: Public sector
Status: In force
What it solves: Technical criteria and governance controls.
What it does not solve: Does not descend to a detailed institutional playbook.

AI bills

Not in force

Type: Regulation
Scope: Country
Status: In process
What it solves: Eventual legal framework of rights and duties.
What it does not solve: Does not solve current public operations.

Basic Guidelines for the use of Authorized Generative AI in the Judiciary

Operational

Type: Sectoral
Scope: Judiciary
Status: In force
What it solves: Authorized internal use of generative AI within the Judiciary.
What it does not solve: Does not apply to the State at large.

Pending gaps

Operational governance gaps

Costa Rica already has a base of public policy and technical guidelines. The next challenge is moving from framework documents to installed institutional capacity.

There is no national AI playbook for the public sector.
There is no common format for AI-system inventory.
There is no shared methodology for classifying use-case risk.
There are no common public-procurement criteria for AI solutions.
There is no national human-oversight and traceability protocol.
There is no public AI-incident reporting mechanism.
There is no institutional compliance dashboard.

Connection with the rest of the Observatory

From policy to real adoption

The country framework shows the rules, strategies and guidelines. The institutional inventory shows where AI is already in use. Both views are complementary: one explains the governance architecture, the other documents public execution.

See institutions See institutional projects See legislation See indicators See resources

Sources and methodology

Sources and inclusion criteria

This page includes national documents, international instruments adopted as reference, current technical guidelines, legislative files and verified institutional projects. It does not include announcements without a public document, unverifiable pilots or political statements without an associated instrument.

Sources

Official MICITT documents
Executive Decree 44507-MICITT and CNTD
Legislative Assembly
OECD
ILIA
Public institutions
AI Observatory Costa Rica own mapping

Inclusion criteria

Verifiable public document as primary evidence.
Inclusion proportional to instrument scope (country, public sector, institution).
Explicit distinction between referential, guiding and mandatory force.
Exclusion of announcements without an associated instrument or unverifiable pilots.

International principles

National strategy

CNTD, AI chapter

Bills in process

Public adoption

Common procedure pending

Sources

Inclusion criteria