Guanajuato adopts UNESCO AI ethics roadmap as state public policy

The Government of Guanajuato, through its state digital transformation programme Guanajuato Digital, has become the first Mexican state to adopt UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence as the basis for a public policy guiding AI use across state institutions. Working with UNESCO, the state produced an AI Roadmap (Hoja de Ruta de IA) that frames AI deployment around human rights and social wellbeing, and positions the state as a participant in the UNESCO Readiness Assessment Methodology. The framework is advisory and orients state digital transformation rather than creating binding obligations on private actors. A parallel agreement with Microsoft commits 100,000 AI training scholarships for Guanajuato residents, and the state reports roughly 3,753 students and teachers reached through its digital platforms to date. The CercanIA forum held in Irapuato in February 2026 drew around 7,500 participants for public AI workshops, panels and training sessions. Guanajuato scores 1 on the governance-mandate dimension, reflecting the roadmap’s guiding rather than regulatory status, and 1 on public-access resources, reflecting the state-backed public training offer.