Cuba
This profile summarises the Key Insights arising from the completion of the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) for Cuba, provides context through the Country Landscape.
Uruguay's RAM data and Country Report are publicly available and can be downloaded below.
Key Insights
Cuba's legal framework is evolving, yet it presents challenges for AI governance. While it currently lacks specific AI legislation, a positive development is the Ministry of Communications taking the lead in formulating a National AI Strategy, which was subsequently launched in 2024. It is now essential to fully develop and implement this National AI Strategy with concrete actions. Additionally, Cuba has recently updated relevant laws, such as the 2023 Law on Personal Data Protection, which embodies positive principles like consent and data minimization. Nevertheless, challenges persist, including potential exceptions in laws, the lack of an open data policy, and unaddressed AI-specific issues. To remedy this, the report strongly recommends establishing multi-stakeholder governance structures with international participation and conducting international evaluations to review and update existing laws (such as data protection, freedom of information, and online security) to better align them with ethical AI principles and human rights. â¶Ä¯
Significant disparities exist in digital access, particularly a stark urban-rural divide in internet connectivity (84.1% vs. 13.8%), making it a high priority to address the rural gap in access to electricity and the internet. A notable positive aspect is that, contrary to global trends, women in Cuba report higher internet usage rates than men, and the country has a National Program for the Advancement of Women. Despite this, overall access is limited; women are underrepresented in ICT higher education, and there is a gap in citizen trust in e-government, demanding efforts - potentially through international consultancies - to improve e-participation and digital services. 
The AI research and education ecosystem faces significant gaps, with low R&D spending, few AI publications or researchers, and no patents. A positive development is the recent creation of a Bachelor's Degree in Data Science at the University of Havana, along with some AI-related courses and initiatives. However, specialized university programs are otherwise lacking, and general education lacks depth in computational thinking and AI ethics. Key recommendations include updating education curricula at all levels to incorporate these critical skills and establishing support programs for international AI doctorates to build advanced human capital. 
Assessing Cuba's economic readiness for AI is challenging due to significant data gaps concerning AI's impact on labor, company investment, and skills. The report mainly highlights these information deficiencies and the probable challenges in AI adoption and workforce adaptation. Consequently, the most crucial recommendation for this area is to considerably enhance data collection on the R&D and AI ecosystems, including company activities, labor market effects, and necessary skills, in line with international standards. â¶Ä¯
Cuba faces significant infrastructure challenges for AI, including low overall connectivity, limited broadband access, and slow speeds. Access to electricity is relatively widespread at 96.2%, and most people have 3G access; however, higher-speed networks are restricted, and essential computational infrastructure, such as data centers, is lacking. Therefore, a top priority is to implement policies that enhance connectivity (speed and access) overall, focusing specifically on urgently addressing the rural infrastructure gap. â¶Ä¯
Country Landscape
AI systems shape and are shaped by a socio-technical landscape of institutions, geographies, and cultural contexts. Therefore, to better understand the environment of the design, development, and deployment of AI systems within countries, it is critical to view these processes with a lens towards the country as a whole.
The share of population with access to electricity is calculated by the World Bank and displayed by Our World in Data. The World Bank defines access to electricity as 'having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours a day'. This data was last reported as 100% for Cuba in 2022.
The share of the population using the internet is compiled by the ITU.
Last documented in 2023, they reported 71.3% of the population as using the internet in Cuba.
The World Bank scores countries on various statistical performance indicators including data use. This score ‘is a composite score measuring the demand side of the statistical system. The data use pillar is segmented by five types of users: (i) the legislature, (ii) the executive branch, (iii) civil society (including sub-national actors), (iv) academia and (v) international bodies.’ The score is based on a range of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the best score.