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Commission of jurists responsible for creating the Artificial Intelligence regulation project in Brazil installed in the Senate

by Willian Oliveira

On Wednesday (30), the installation of the commission of jurists tasked with proposing a text to regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Brazil took place at the Federal Senate. The committee, which was established in February by the President of Congress, Senator Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), has a four-month deadline to draft the regulatory framework proposal, which will then be analyzed by lawmakers.

The ceremony to install the commission was initially chaired by Senator Eduardo Gomes (MDB-TO), who, in his presentation, read a letter expressing the importance given to the issue by Rodrigo Pacheco. According to the President of the House, AI is becoming increasingly present in the lives of Brazilians, and the debate, conducted by a highly qualified group, is crucial to ensure fair and precise regulation.

“Artificial intelligence increasingly impacts the public life of states and the private lives of citizens. With the rapid expansion of this field, the time has come to regulate it. How do we identify legal responsibility in an event caused or mediated by artificial intelligence?”, questioned, Pacheco. 

Regulation  

The group responsible for drafting the text that will regulate AI in Brazil is composed of 18 experts, including prominent figures from law, academia, and the public sector. The commission will be led by Minister of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) Ricardo Cueva, who assured that the private sector, civil society, as well as intergovernmental and multilateral organizations related to the theme in question, will be consulted.

Bruno Bioni, director of the Data Privacy Brazil Research Association, is among the jurists tasked with drafting the regulatory framework. During his speech at the commission’s installation, Bioni emphasized the complexity of the issue and how public participation will contribute to the debate. “This is a very valuable opportunity to understand how we can internalize experiences not only from the Global North but also from the Global South. We need to understand how we can energize and think of regulatory models that are well tuned to the socioeconomic conditions and challenges we face in Brazil,” he highlighted.

To begin drafting the AI regulatory project, the committee will analyze three bills (PL) on the topic that are already under discussion in the National Congress. These are: PL 5.051/2019, by Senator Styvenson Valentim (PODEMOS/RN), PL 872/202, by Senator Veneziano Vital do Rêgo (MDB/PB), and PL 21/2020, by Federal Deputy Eduardo Bismarck (PDT/CE), which has already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies.

Jurist Laura Schertel, a professor at the Brazilian Institute for Education, Development, and Research (IPD), who is also part of the list of experts, was appointed as the commission’s rapporteur. In her presentation, Laura outlined the work stages, which will be: the installation of the committee and public participation, working meetings, analysis of international regulatory experiences, and finally, drafting and consolidating materials to support the creation of the regulatory proposal.

For more information on the commission’s schedule and work plan, visit the Federal Senate’s website through the provided link.

*with information from Agência Senado