Dominican Republic approves AI Ethics Code for public services

The Dominican Republic government has approved Decree 787-26, establishing the Artificial Intelligence Ethics Code for Public Services. Developed by the Government Office of Information and Communication Technologies (OGTIC) and the General Directorate of Government Ethics and Integrity (DIGEIG), the framework aligns with UNESCO and OECD standards.

The regulation mandates mandatory Ethical and Rights Impact Assessments (EIED) for high-impact AI systems that affect social benefits or legal rights. It also guarantees algorithmic transparency, ensuring citizens are informed when AI is used in administrative decisions and providing mechanisms for human review.

To protect civil rights, the code strictly prohibits certain applications, including generalized social scoring, mass biometric identification in public spaces without a judicial order, and predictive criminal profiling based on socioeconomic or territorial biases.