The Brussels Effect and Legal Transplants between the EU-Latin America’s AI Policy and Governance
This lecture examines how European regulatory frameworks, through the so-called Brussels Effect, influence debates on artificial intelligence governance in Latin America, where legal transplants often draw—partially or entirely—on the EU’s AI Act. It situates these dynamics within the region’s institutional, cultural, and socioeconomic realities, emphasizing both the opportunities and the frictions that arise when regulations designed for Europe are imported without critical adaptation.
While the AI Act itself has faced criticism and remains largely untested, such concerns are rarely acknowledged in Latin American policy debates. The lecture argues that the Brussels Effect is not inherently negative—as Europe tends to produce solid regulatory work—but that its unreflective transplant risks producing mismatches; the more responsible path lies in the careful analysis of the real needs of the region and adapting before legislating. The event will be followed by a discussion and Apéro.
Speaker:
Professor Diego Borbón, Stehr-Boldt Fellow at the Institute of Biomedical Ethics at University of Zurich and Professor at Faculty of Law at Universidad Externado de Colombia