Use of AI in criminal proceedings (Código Nacional de Procedimientos Penales, arts. 14 Bis through 14 Quinquies)

What it is. Adds a Chapter I Bis to Title II 'Principles and Rights in Proceedings' of the Código Nacional de Procedimientos Penales (National Criminal Procedure Code) to regulate the use of AI tools in criminal proceedings.

Who. Sen. Agustín Dorantes Lámbarri (PAN). When. Presented to the Comisión Permanente (Standing Commission) on July 8, 2026. Status. Referred to the Joint Commissions on Justice; Analysis, Monitoring and Evaluation of Artificial Intelligence in Mexico; and Legislative Studies, Second.

The principles it establishes

It subjects the use of AI tools to ten governing principles: legality, transparency, traceability, human oversight, explainability, personal data protection, non-discrimination, accountability, proportionality, and information security. Responsibility for actions and decisions remains with judges and public officials with judicial functions: AI cannot replace legal reasoning, automatically evaluate evidence, determine disputed facts, or adopt decisions without human intervention.

Why it matters

It is one of 14 mirror bills that Senator Dorantes introduced on July 8, 2026, to insert the same chapter, "On the Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools," across virtually all Mexican procedural law—from administrative and labor proceedings to criminal, commercial, agrarian, and military matters—plus an amendment to Article 17 of the Constitution. Together, they pursue a single standard: AI as an auxiliary tool, under human oversight and without substituting the judgment of those who adjudicate or decide.

Sources

Record from the Observatorio IA México archive. Summary verified against official source.