Need to Regulate Artificial Intelligence

By Adda Avendaño and Rocío Castañeda

The Franco-Mexican Week on Artificial Intelligence, which marked the first phase of the Polinterpares 2025 Seminar, brought together researchers, academics, and specialists at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) to explore emerging trends, scientific advances, and the pressing challenges facing AI. Hosted at the IPN’s computing corridor, the event highlighted the need for a comprehensive transformation of current practices through responsible and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence.

Participants agreed on the urgency of establishing international regulatory frameworks for AI to ensure clinical safety, protect personal data, and determine accountability in cases of error.

Organized by the Secretariat for Research and Graduate Studies (SIP) at IPN, the first stage of the seminar ran from June 2 to 6 under the theme Franco-Mexican Week on Artificial Intelligence: Transitions from Theory to Applications. Experts emphasized that regulating AI is essential to developing broad legal and ethical frameworks grounded in human rights and data protection, with the goal of minimizing potential risks.

Recognized as a turning point in how societies understand, collaborate, and address 21st-century challenges, Artificial Intelligence must not be seen as a standalone tool. Rather, it is a set of integrated models and techniques that are reshaping the boundaries of what is possible across healthcare, economics, education, and social institutions. This transformation raises critical questions about legal and ethical standards that must guide its use.

The Ethics and Governance of AI

“Protecting personal data is paramount in the development and use of AI. It must be handled confidentially to safeguard fundamental rights,” said Dr. Martín Manjarrez Betancourt of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) during the panel Legal and Ethical Challenges of Artificial Intelligence: Toward Responsible Governance.

Graduate students Carlos Daniel López Ríos and José Juan Coria—the latter also a legal AI researcher—stressed the importance of transparency in AI systems. According to them, society must understand how algorithms operate, what data is collected, and how that data is used.

The panel also addressed the potential for AI to be misused for criminal purposes. In this context, experts discussed the possible need to define a new type of legal entity—beyond physical and moral persons—that could be held accountable for AI misuse.

In academic settings, panelists recognized the value of AI as a tool to enhance student performance. However, they cautioned against its overuse, which may hinder students’ research capabilities and raise concerns over intellectual property violations. Proper citation and ethical use remain essential.

Experts including Salma Leticia Jalife Villalón of Centro México Digital; Eleazar Aguirre Anaya of the Centro de Investigación en Computación (CIC-IPN); Juan Antonio Rodríguez Hernández of Alumni Mexico-France Association; and Marco Antonio Moreno Ibarra, Director General of Technology Transfer and Innovation at Mexico City’s Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation (Secihti), highlighted the importance of instilling ethical values from an early age.

Speaking at the panel Education, Ethics, Safety, and Regulation in AI, they called for a shared responsibility among academia, government, industry, and society to ensure human rights are upheld throughout the development and implementation of AI regulatory models tailored to Mexico’s context.

Dr. Jorge García Flores, President of the Maison Universitaire Franco-Mexicaine (Muframex), underlined the need to demystify AI narratives. “We must use science, scientific reasoning, and foster a culture of digital responsibility,” he stated, emphasizing the efforts of the Franco-Mexican scientific community to educate the public on responsible AI usage.

AI in Health, Energy, and Cybersecurity

In the panel AI Applications and Transitions in Healthcare, experts including Yenny Villuendas Rey of the Center for Innovation and Technological Development in Computing (Cidetech); Rosa María Valdovinos Rosas of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMéx); and Gilberto Ochoa Ruiz of ITESM Guadalajara Campus echoed the call for international AI regulation to ensure clinical safety, protect personal data, and establish accountability protocols.

During the session, AI as a Technological Tool for the Energy Transition, Dr. Gustavo Arroyo Figueroa from the National Institute of Electricity and Clean Energy (INEEL); Dr. Felipe de Jesús González Montaño from UAM Azcapotzalco; and Dr. Iván Galileo Martínez Cienfuegos from UNAM discussed how AI can be integrated throughout the energy generation process—from management and distribution to demand forecasting and failure detection.

In the field of cybersecurity, Dr. Claudia Feregrino Uribe, Director of Research and Technological Development at the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics, and Electronics (INAOE), acknowledged both the risks and benefits of AI. She highlighted its potential in enhancing digital security through machine learning models capable of detecting anomalies, malware, suspicious behaviors, and fraud.

At the event’s official opening, Dr. Ana Lilia Coria Páez, Secretary for Research and Graduate Studies at IPN, emphasized that AI was chosen as the focal topic because society is at a historic inflection point. Language models, generative AI, and autonomous systems are reshaping productivity and knowledge creation—while also prompting critical discussions about equity, transparency, and governance.

Key fact

The upcoming phases of the Polinterpares 2025 Seminar will take place in July, October, and November. These sessions—delivered in virtual, hybrid, and in-person formats—will focus on research methodologies, integrated risk management, and food security.