UNED Costa Rica Adopts an Institutional AI Policy After Surveying 483 Faculty on Ethical Risks

In its ordinary session 3088-2025 on 4 September 2025, Costa Rica's Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED) approved an Institutional Artificial Intelligence Policy, becoming the first public university in the country to formally govern how AI is used across teaching, research and administration. The policy created the Red Institucional de Inteligencia Artificial (RedIIA), a standing body tasked with coordinating training, research, technology governance and institutional accompaniment as AI use spreads across the university.

The policy was informed by empirical research from UNED's own Centro de Investigaciones en Educación (CINED). Led by researcher Jensy Campos Céspedes, the study 'Uso de la inteligencia artificial en los procesos educativos que aplica el personal docente de la UNED: fundamentos axiológicos, creencias y buenas prácticas' surveyed 483 academic staff, published 16 May 2026. It found AI already embedded in research, data analysis, development of teaching materials, assessment and administrative work, with faculty citing learning personalisation, time savings and richer resources as the main benefits.

The same study surfaced explicit concerns: algorithmic bias, growing technological dependence, data-privacy risks and the ethics of automated decision-making were named as the faculty's primary worries, though the published reporting does not break these concerns down by percentage. UNED has since published general orientation guidelines for responsible AI use alongside the policy, positioning the RedIIA as the ongoing mechanism for keeping practice aligned with the stated ethical principles rather than treating the policy as a one-off document.

Read the full analysis: https://acontecer.uned.ac.cr/uned-lidera-el-camino-hacia-una-ia-responsable-en-la-educacion-superior-estatal-de-costa-rica/