Preparing for AI regulations: Institutional training initiatives in Latin American universities

Abstract

This study critically analyzes policies and regulations concerning artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI in Latin American higher education from a digital education policy perspective. Methodologically, the study employed a critical and comparative document analysis of 52 regulatory, institutional, and academic documents published between 2019 and 2026, using inductive coding supported by Atlas.ti 9. Findings reveal significant regulatory fragmentation and three main tensions: (1) “borrowed ethics,” where universities and institutions adopt international governance frameworks without sufficient implementation capacities; (2) innovation asymmetries between institutions with unequal technological infrastructure; and (3) the limited emergence of debates on neurorights and cognitive sovereignty. The study introduces the concepts of “glocalized stacking” and “compensatory co-governance” to explain how institutions negotiate global regulatory pressures and local realities, contributing to critical discussions on algorithmic governance and technological sovereignty in Latin America.