AI Regulation Tracker / Legislation pending
Bolivia's Senate approves an AI bill that would restrict mass facial recognition, with AGETIC oversight
The Bolivian Senate approved Proyecto de Ley 178/2024-2025 on the promotion, management and use of artificial intelligence and sent it to the Chamber of Deputies. If enacted, the bill would place AI systems under state supervision and prohibit seven uses, including mass facial recognition without a court order.
Bolivia has moved closer to a national artificial-intelligence law. According to coverage of the session, the Camara de Senadores approved Proyecto de Ley No. 178/2024-2025, "Promocion, Gestion y Uso de la Inteligencia Artificial," on October 22, 2025, and remitted it to the Chamber of Deputies for a second reading. Reporting places the vote in late October 2025; some outlets date the session a day or two later. The bill has not been enacted. It remains pending in the lower chamber as of the middle of 2026, and its provisions can still change before any final text.
Because a consolidated official version was not locatable on the Senate or Chamber of Deputies portals at the time of writing, the account below relies on Bolivian press and legal commentary. Readers should treat the specific figures and article references as reported rather than confirmed against the statute.
What the bill would do
As reported, the text runs to 31 articles and sets out to promote AI while placing its development and use under state supervision. Coverage attributes to the bill a rule that AI systems built or deployed in Bolivia, by individuals or companies, would fall under government regulation. Analysis published by Cabildeo Digital describes a dedicated regulator, referred to as the Autoridad de Regulacion de la IA, with power to certify systems, supervise compliance, and impose progressive administrative sanctions, while the Agencia de Gobierno Electronico y Tecnologias de Informacion y Comunicacion, known as AGETIC, would draft a national strategy and maintain registries. Some outlets instead describe AGETIC itself as the supervising authority. The precise allocation of oversight between a new regulator and AGETIC is one point to watch as the text is finalized.
The seven prohibited uses
The most concrete part of the reported text is a list of seven prohibited uses. As described in coverage, these include subliminal or psychological manipulation of vulnerable people, exploitation of vulnerabilities tied to age, disability, or extreme poverty, mass facial recognition without prior judicial authorization through habeas data, social scoring systems, discriminatory classification by phenotype, ethnic origin, or predictive behavior, harmful deepfakes and synthetic content, and the development or use of autonomous AI in lethal weapons. For facial-recognition vendors, the reported language is specific: coverage says the bill would bar indiscriminate scraping of facial images from the internet or closed-circuit cameras and would require that biometric databases be lawfully acquired, with biometric registration allowed only for national security or public order.
Deadlines and a data-protection gap
Coverage reports two implementation clocks. AGETIC would have 90 days to issue implementing regulations and 180 days to publish a national AI strategy and sector guidelines. Separately, an additional provision would require Bolivia to pass a dedicated personal-data-protection law within 180 days, filling a gap that Bolivian commentators describe as long-standing. That data-protection mandate matters for any AI system that processes personal or biometric information, because the safeguards it would create do not yet exist in a single comprehensive statute.
What it does not do yet
The central limit is status. This is a bill the Senate has passed, not a law. It creates no binding obligation today, the Chamber of Deputies can amend or reject it, and the reported deadlines would run only from enactment. No penalties are enforceable now, and the article numbers and figures cited in the press should be confirmed against the official text once it is published.
For a United States reader, the cross-border reading is practical. If enacted, the bill would bind US firms that develop or deploy AI inside Bolivia, and Bolivian commentators have framed it as an early regional entry alongside efforts in Brazil and Chile. A prohibition on mass facial recognition without a court order, if it survives, would set a concrete compliance line for biometric vendors operating in the country.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Bolivia's Senate actually approve?
The Senate approved Proyecto de Ley No. 178/2024-2025, "Promocion, Gestion y Uso de la Inteligencia Artificial," and sent it to the Chamber of Deputies. According to coverage, the vote took place on October 22, 2025. It is a pending bill, not an enacted law, and its text can still change.
Who would this affect?
As reported, any natural person or company that develops or deploys AI in Bolivia would fall under the framework. Facial-recognition and other biometric vendors are the most directly affected, because the bill reportedly restricts mass facial recognition and requires that biometric data be lawfully sourced.
Does the bill ban facial recognition outright?
No, based on reported coverage. It would prohibit mass facial recognition without prior judicial authorization and bar indiscriminate scraping of facial images, while reportedly allowing biometric registration for national security or public order. The exact wording should be confirmed against the official text.
Is the law in force now?
No. The Senate approved it, but it remains pending in the Chamber of Deputies as of mid-2026. The reported 90-day and 180-day deadlines, and the required personal-data-protection law, would begin only if and when the bill is enacted.
Where can I read the official text?
A consolidated official version was not locatable on senado.gob.bo or diputados.gob.bo at the time of writing. Until the government publishes the enacted text, the provisions summarized here rest on Bolivian press and legal commentary and should be treated as reported.
Sponsored Training
Browse the full AI Regulation News tracker
Informational analysis for working professionals, not legal advice. Confirm how any rule applies to your situation with qualified counsel.