City of BA Promotes Use of AI in Public Administration

The Government of the City of Buenos Aires (GCABA) enacted Decree 97/2026, published in the Official Gazette on March 9, 2026, which mandates that GCABA agencies promote the implementation of artificial intelligence tools in government management and in the City’s interactions with citizens, with the aim of improving efficiency, the quality of public services, and administrative productivity.

Priority will be given to the application of AI in procedures related to authorizations for economic activities, construction permits and notices, records of administrative violations, and citizen service channels.

To this end, the Secretariat for Innovation and Digital Transformation (SITD), in coordination with the relevant agencies, will adopt the necessary measures to implement it. It may also deploy AI solutions in other administrative procedures or in processes that channel interactions with citizens. Within this framework, the SITD is empowered to issue the operational regulations required to implement these measures.

The Decree notes that advances in information technologies and the need to modernize the State make it necessary to progressively incorporate AI solutions into government management and citizen engagement in a transparent, secure, efficient, and agile manner, to enhance efficiency, improve the quality of public services, and increase administrative productivity.

The initiative is adopted within the framework of GCABA’s strategic management objectives aimed at positioning the City as a leader in innovation and as a regional benchmark in AI, and is consistent with the projects currently being developed by the GCABA, as detailed in the Decree. In this regard, the recitals anticipate the potential creation of a system of tax, credit, and regulatory incentives designed to promote activities related to AI development.

The Decree is issued in a context of rapid expansion of AI and its cross-cutting impact across multiple sectors, as well as its capacity to improve administrative productivity, optimize the allocation of public resources, and streamline interactions with citizens.

Its effective implementation will largely depend on the supplementary regulations and operational developments that the SITD will establish to ensure its proper application across the various GCABA agencies.