Artificial intelligence governance in the education sector and the need for regulatory frameworks that balance innovation with the protection of rights were the focus of the Workshop on Regulatory Sandboxes for Artificial Intelligence in Education, held on April 23 and 24, 2026, in Maceió, Brazil.

The activity was organized by the Secretariat of Information Management, Innovation and Educational Policy Evaluation (Segape) of the Ministry of Education (MEC), in joint action with the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) and the Center of Excellence in Social Technologies of the Federal University of Alagoas (NEES/UFAL). The event had the technical support of ECLAC’s Digital Transformation Lab (DLAB), within the framework of the alliance with German Development Cooperation.

Over two days, the workshop brought together public officials, regulatory specialists, artificial intelligence system developers, edtechs, research groups, and the academic community to present, discuss, and delve into the experimental regulatory environment that will guide the use of AI solutions in the Brazilian educational sector. The initiative is part of MEC’s strategic actions for the implementation of the Regulatory AI Sandbox in Education, an instrument enabled by the Legal Framework for Science, Technology and Innovation and Complementary Law No. 182/2021.

The second day delved into the operational dimensions of the AI systems evaluation framework—pedagogical impact, technical development, data governance, and legal certainty—through a dynamic round table with a simulated fictitious case, in which teams from NEES, MEC, and AGU participated.

The workshop represents a significant step in building public governance of artificial intelligence in education aligned with ethical, pedagogical, and social principles. The participation of DLAB-ECLAC reaffirms ECLAC’s and German Development Cooperation’s commitment to supporting countries in the region in designing regulatory frameworks that promote inclusive, responsible digital transformation oriented towards people’s well-being.