On July 16, 2026, the Guanajuato Institute of Innovation trained 130 public servants from 12 state agencies in the applied use of artificial intelligence for public administration, during the "Gobierno en Cercanía" forum held at the Innovation District in Silao.
The initiative is part of a broader wave of subnational advances in digital governance that, this same month, has produced milestones in other states: Chihuahua installed its Digital Government Council and Michoacán approved its State Digital Agenda. Guanajuato stands out for moving beyond institutional design into direct operational training. The strategy, aligned with the policy agenda of Governor Libia Dennise, places AI adoption under principles of ethics, cross-agency collaboration, and public service, according to the official state government bulletin published on July 16. According to Quadratín Bajío, the forum also addressed youth participation and the protection of children's rights in digital environments.
The forum, organized by the Mesa de Coordinación Guanajuato Digital, brought together officials from Obra Pública, Finanzas, Seguridad, Derechos Humanos, the Secretaría de Gobierno, the Secretaría de Educación, INAEBA, IPLANEG, PEPPNA, ISSEG, Mejora Regulatoria, and Nuevo Comienzo. Juan Antonio Reus Montaño, director of the Institute of Innovation, stated that "technology in Guanajuato is an instrument in the service of the population" and that AI represents "the path to closeness and transparency in government functions." The day closed with simultaneous workshops where attendees received training to identify opportunities for applying data technology within their departmental processes. In parallel, 20 artificial intelligence projects already registered by various agencies were presented.
The forum served as a precursor to CercanIA Fest, scheduled for August 26 at Inforum Irapuato, a larger-scale event that aims to translate the institutional adoption of AI into concrete solutions for everyday life. With 20 projects already registered and direct training underway, Guanajuato is moving from policy design to implementation, while other states are only now establishing their first digital councils.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence, drawing on verified sources, and reviewed by a human editor prior to publication.