Peru defines an AI officer role for public bodies under its AI strategy

Peru defines an AI officer role for public bodies under its AI strategy

21 October 2026: Peru's Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM) has approved guidelines that define the profile and duties of an Oficial de Inteligencia Artificial, an AI officer who will steer how each public entity adopts the technology. The officer writes the entity's AI action plan, which becomes part of its digital government plan, and supervises the management of AI risk.

Not yet independently verified. The PCM press note does not give the directive's number, its publication date in El Peruano, a deadline for entities to appoint an officer, or any sanction; we have not found the instrument itself. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

What the officer does

The guidelines were approved through the PCM's Secretariat of Government and Digital Transformation, the body that sets Peru's digital government rules. According to the PCM, the officer's main tasks are to:

• identify where AI can be applied in the entity's work;
• draft a Plan de Acción de Inteligencia Artificial, which forms part of the entity's Plan de Gobierno Digital;
• supervise risk management, in line with current regulations and security standards.

The person appointed must have a university education, professional experience, knowledge of artificial intelligence, ethical suitability, and knowledge of the institution they serve. "We are establishing clear responsibilities so that public entities use artificial intelligence strategically and responsibly," said the president of the Council of Ministers, Luis Galarreta.

Where it fits

The directive implements Peru's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (ENIA) 2026 to 2030, which promotes ethical, secure and inclusive development and use of AI. Each entity already keeps a Plan de Gobierno Digital; the change puts AI projects inside that plan with a named owner, rather than leaving them to individual departments.

What it means for suppliers to the Peruvian state

For companies selling AI software or services to ministries, regional governments and other public bodies in Peru, the AI officer becomes the person who decides whether a use case enters the entity's plan, and who signs off its risks. Procurement for AI projects is therefore likely to follow the plan's cycle, and suppliers should expect questions on risk assessment, data handling and security standards that map to the officer's supervisory duty.

The PCM's note does not say when entities must name their officer, and the directive's text was not linked from it. Until the instrument is published, the timing of appointments, and whether smaller entities may share an officer, remain open. Our artificial intelligence company category lists 1,092 firms.

Sources

• PCM: Perú establece el rol del Oficial de Inteligencia Artificial para impulsar la transformación digital responsable del Estado, 21 October 2026