After returning from his Silicon Valley tour, President Javier Milei announced a plan in Argentina to attract investments from major companies in Artificial Intelligence and use this technology to modernize public administration. 

The first to implement it will be Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, with the creation of the Artificial Intelligence Applied to Security Unit (Uiaas).

This unit will operate under the Cybercrime and Cyber Affairs Directorate and will primarily “patrol open social networks,” an area where Bullrich already has experience from controversial operations and arrests during both her current administration and that of Mauricio Macri. The Uiaas adds to Milei’s digital enforcement force, which monitors and confronts online activity. 

Resolution 710/2024, published in the Official Bulletin, highlights Artificial Intelligence as “one of the most significant socio-technological changes for the population” and cites its application in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Israel, France, Singapore, and India. 

The resolution, signed by Bullrich, notes that “these countries lead in integrating Artificial Intelligence technologies to strengthen citizen security and protection, improving efficiency and effectiveness,” and emphasizes that “applying Artificial Intelligence in crime prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution is essential.” 

How Will Artificial Intelligence Be Applied in Security?

Among Uiaas’ functions are facial recognition—already used in Buenos Aires with constitutional challenges—and real-time analysis of security camera footage. 

Drone patrols are also planned to provide aerial surveillance and emergency response, in line with Decree 663/2024 on airspace deregulation, which aims to encourage drone use in Argentina. The unit will also analyze social networks and apps to detect threats, track criminal group activity, or anticipate disturbances.

In recent months, the Ministry of Security conducted raids and arrests based on social media posts, including cases later deemed disproportionate by the courts. 

According to the resolution, Uiaas tasks include: patrolling open networks and the dark web, identifying and comparing physical or digital images, using machine learning algorithms to predict crimes, detecting unusual patterns in IT systems, processing large volumes of data, performing drone surveillance, operating robots to deactivate explosives, improving coordination among security forces, and monitoring suspicious financial transactions. 

With this initiative, Argentina is taking a major step in integrating Artificial Intelligence into public security, aiming to modernize crime prevention and increase operational efficiency, even as the approach raises debates over privacy and proportionality.