The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (ENIA) 2024-2027 is the public policy with which Costa Rica guides the use, adoption, and development of artificial intelligence. It was presented by the MICITT on October 24, 2024, making the country the first in Central America with a policy of this kind.

How many strategic pillars does the ENIA have?

Seven: ethical, safe, and responsible AI; territorial articulation and economic development; promotion of research and innovation; smart government; talent training; digital infrastructure; and international leadership.

What principles is the ENIA based on?

The strategy puts people at the center and is aligned with UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and with the OECD principles, emphasizing human rights, transparency, and equity.

ENIA: the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy

Costa Rica did not wait for artificial intelligence to roll over it. It chose to put it in order. The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (ENIA) 2024-2027, presented by the MICITT on October 24, 2024, is the result of that choice: the first AI public policy framework in Central America.

A strategy is not a promise. It is a map. And this map is organized into seven pillars, each with an underlying question: how to use AI without losing the human compass.

The seven pillars of the ENIA

Pillar	What it seeks
1. Ethical, safe, and responsible AI	That AI respects human rights, stays safe and transparent, with people at the center.
2. Territorial articulation and economic development	That the benefits of AI reach every region, not just the Greater Metropolitan Area.
3. Promotion of research and innovation	Strengthen research and innovation, uniting academia, the private sector, and government.
4. Smart government	More efficient, transparent public services, with data-based decisions.
5. Talent training	Reskilling and upskilling programs to prepare the workforce.
6. Digital infrastructure	5G networks and enabling technologies to deploy AI effectively.
7. International leadership	Position Costa Rica as a reference in the global governance of AI.

Pillar by pillar, with judgment

1. Ethical, safe, and responsible AI

This is the foundation. The strategy starts from a simple and demanding idea: technology is not adopted to show off, but to serve, and it comes with limits before those limits become urgent. That is why it calls for a clear regulatory framework and an ethical approach that puts people, not machines, at the center of every process.

2. Territorial articulation and economic development

A powerful tool concentrated in few hands multiplies inequality. This pillar seeks to have AI drive the local economy across the whole country, not just the capital, strengthening the productive sectors of each region.

3. Promotion of research and innovation

Knowledge does not arise on its own. The ENIA bets on uniting three worlds that rarely talk to each other, academia, business, and the state, to generate solutions that respond to the country’s real needs.

4. Smart government

A state that uses AI with judgment can serve its people better. The pillar proposes incorporating artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency, quality, and transparency of public services, and to decide with data instead of impulses.

5. Talent training

No strategy works without the people who sustain it. The ENIA promotes upskilling and reskilling programs so that Costa Rican talent is prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the digital economy.

6. Digital infrastructure and enabling technologies

AI needs material foundations. This pillar drives robust infrastructure, with 5G networks and other enabling technologies, so innovation reaches all productive sectors.

7. International leadership

A small country can have a big voice. Costa Rica aspires to be a reference in the global governance of AI, taking part in international forums and contributing to the definition of ethical, sustainable frameworks.

Why it matters

The ENIA reaffirms a commitment: to drive innovation in an inclusive, responsible way. It is not a document to file away, but a path to harness artificial intelligence for the country’s social, economic, and human development. Consistent with the national story, it puts judgment before the tool.

Frequently asked questions

What is the ENIA?: The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (ENIA) 2024-2027 is the public policy with which Costa Rica guides the use, adoption, and development of artificial intelligence. It was presented by the MICITT on October 24, 2024, making the country the first in Central America with a policy of this kind.
How many strategic pillars does the ENIA have?: Seven: ethical, safe, and responsible AI; territorial articulation and economic development; promotion of research and innovation; smart government; talent training; digital infrastructure; and international leadership.
What principles is the ENIA based on?: The strategy puts people at the center and is aligned with UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and with the OECD principles, emphasizing human rights, transparency, and equity.