Artificial intelligence in Panama: bill and national strategy

What exists today in Panama: law, bill and strategy

The short answer to the search “artificial intelligence law Panama” is that there are three documents with very different legal weight, and mixing them up is the source of almost every myth. A law in force is a rule approved by the National Assembly, signed into law and published in the Gaceta Oficial. A bill is a proposal still moving through the legislative process, and it binds no one. A national strategy is a public policy document with the State’s goals and priorities.

Radar consulted the official sources on November 6, 2026 and found the following:

• Strategy: the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy of the Republic of Panama was approved by the Cabinet Council through Cabinet Resolution No. 75 of August 11, 2026, published in Gaceta Oficial Digital 30592-A on August 18.
• Bill: Bill 588, “Que establece la Gobernanza adaptativa de la Inteligencia Artificial de Panamá” (establishing adaptive governance of AI in Panama), appears in a National Assembly news item of August 19, 2026 with the phrase “recibió tercer debate” (received third debate).
• Related law in force: Law 81 of 2019 and Executive Decree 285 of 2021 on personal data protection, which the Strategy itself describes as the legal framework for the data that AI uses.

On the progress of Bill 588 after August 19, Radar did not find a published official text. As of November 6, Radar also did not find a law promulgating it in the Gaceta Oficial.

Myth: “Panama already has an artificial intelligence law”

The myth spreads from headlines and social media posts saying “Panama approves AI law” whenever an initiative moves up one debate in the Assembly. The phrase suggests that a rule already binds businesses and professionals.

Reality: As of November 6, 2026, Radar did not find a published AI-specific law in the Gaceta Oficial. What the National Assembly reported on August 19 is that Bill 588 “recibió tercer debate”; the institutional note does not say it was signed into law. Earlier, according to the same note, the bill was reviewed in first debate by the Education Committee, with the participation of the National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT). The note sums up its proposal as an adaptive governance model that combines safeguards with promotion of innovation, built on protecting human autonomy and dignity, “sin imponer barreras desproporcionadas” (without imposing disproportionate barriers) on AI adoption.

An important caveat: the latest official status Radar found is the Assembly note of August 19. After that date it did not find a published official text, so the bill’s current status should be confirmed at the official source before treating it as settled.

Myth: “AI is not regulated at all”

This myth shows up as the counterweight to the previous one: if there is no AI law, any use of AI is assumed to fall outside every rule.

Reality: No law regulates AI as such, but general rules do reach what a business does with it. The main one is personal data protection. The National Strategy, in its data governance section (page 15 of the document published in Gaceta Oficial Digital 30592-A), states that Law 81 of 2019 and Executive Decree 285 of 2021 provide “un marco jurídico sólido” (a solid legal framework) for data. It also says the National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (ANTAI) will be strengthened to supervise personal data protection in AI systems, and that any new function assigned to it will depend on what that law and its regulation provide. In practical terms, data that identifies a person remains protected even when it is processed with an AI tool. Radar does not go into the articles of Law 81 because it could not read the official text.

Aarón Gómez points the same way from practice: in his interview with Radar on AI in a small business’s content, he says that “if the data identifies a person, it should not go into a prompt without consent and without a real need”.

Myth: “the national artificial intelligence strategy is a law”

The myth comes from the official tone of the document and the fact that it was published in the Gaceta Oficial, where laws are also published. It is heard as “Panama’s AI law” when people mean the strategy.

Reality: The Strategy was approved by a Cabinet Council resolution, not by a law of the National Assembly. Cabinet Resolution No. 75 of August 11, 2026 has two articles: the first approves the Strategy and states that it forms part of the resolution; the second says it takes effect upon promulgation. Its recitals cite article 83 of the Constitution, Law 13 of 1997 on science and technology, and Executive Decree 36 of May 7, 2026, which created the National Commission for Critical and Emerging Technologies. That Commission presented the Strategy through its artificial intelligence subcommittee, and the document has six pillars: infrastructure, human capital, data and security, governance and ethics, investment and alliances, and sector applications. SENACYT also announced the approval on August 12.

The Strategy also anticipates future work rather than creating concrete obligations for businesses. For example, it says the Commission “should propose” National AI Governance Guidelines and that controlled sector testing spaces will be set up. Radar consulted this source on November 6.

Myth: “a bill that reached third debate is already binding”

The myth spreads when a news item says the Assembly “approved” something or that a bill “passed third debate”. Many readers understand that it applies from that day.

Reality: A bill does not bind anyone until it becomes law. The Assembly itself, in its August 19 note, reports that Bill 588 “recibió tercer debate” and mentions neither signature nor publication. Panamanian rules bind from their promulgation: Cabinet Resolution No. 75, for example, states that it applies “a partir de su promulgación”, and the Gaceta Oficial is where promulgated rules are published. That is why, to know whether something is a law in force, the useful check is to look for the text in the Gaceta Oficial rather than trust a news headline.

Myth: “Panama is preparing a regulation that will ban or slow down AI”

The myth feeds on comparisons with foreign laws and on the idea that “regulate” means “restrict”. Some business owners fear that a future law will make the tools they already use unusable.

Reality: The official documents Radar opened point in another direction. The National Strategy says in section 6.2 that it “rechaza regulación de IA restrictiva” (rejects restrictive AI regulation) and favors an experimentation-based, pro-innovation approach. It provides for controlled testing spaces, ethical impact assessments for systems with significant social impact (for example, judicial algorithms or medical triage) and a lighter supervision burden for minimal-impact applications. In Bill 588, the Assembly’s note speaks of avoiding “disproportionate barriers” to adoption. Neither document describes a general ban on AI. Radar did not find a published official text of Bill 588 in its final version, so its specific articles are not detailed here.

Practical steps for a business or professional

While no specific law is published, Aarón Gómez’s approach is to work with what is in force and follow what is pending. A reasonable sequence:

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Sources

Radar consulted these sources on November 6, 2026.

• Gaceta Oficial Digital 30592-A, August 18, 2026: Cabinet Resolution No. 75 of August 11, 2026 and the text of Panama’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
• National Assembly, news item of August 19, 2026 on Bill 588: adaptive governance of artificial intelligence.
• SENACYT, approval of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, August 12, 2026.