{"name":"Applied AI in Vanuatu — the record","description":"Every announced initiative, deployment, published result and regulation of applied AI on the record for Vanuatu, tagged by kind, industry, region and role, sourced and dated. A slice of the State of Applied AI record, maintained continuously by the Industrial Research Unit of the Straits Institute for Applied AI.","source":"https://www.straitsai.institute/state-of-applied-ai/vanuatu","partOf":"https://www.straitsai.institute/state-of-applied-ai/evidence.json","attribution":"Industrial Research Unit, Straits Institute for Applied AI","updated":"2026-10-29","facet":{"kind":"country","name":"Vanuatu","slug":"vanuatu","iso2":"VU","region":"Asia-Pacific"},"counts":{"entries":3,"deployments":1,"evidenceImpact":0,"evidenceAdoption":0,"regulation":2,"industries":2,"countries":1,"linked":3},"entries":[{"kind":"deployment","industry":"Agriculture & Food","region":"Vanuatu","role":"Forestry officer","org":"Vanuatu Department of Forestry","text":"The Pacific Community (SPC) and Vanuatu's Department of Forestry built a machine learning model for invasive plant mapping, reaching around 97 per cent validated accuracy for species like big lif rop, Cordia alliodora and African tulip. Officers fed it over 3,000 field points via Digital Earth Pacific, using predictive modelling for invasive species to guide site selection and treatment trials from August 2026.","date":"2026-08-17","source":"https://www.spc.int/updates/blog/blog-post/2026/08/vanuatu-puts-invasive-plant-mapping-to-the-test"},{"kind":"regulation","industry":"Government & Public Sector","region":"Vanuatu","org":"Parliament of Vanuatu","text":"Vanuatu now regulates AI regulation through a permit scheme: the Digital Transformation Act No. 42 of 2025 forces any firm supplying AI-powered tools to Ni-Vanuatu businesses or citizens to register under a new ICT category covering 'artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-related data services'. Parliament enacted the law in November 2025, handing the Department of Communications and Digital Transformation power to draft national AI policy frameworks and conduct compliance inspections. Non-compliant firms risk fines reaching Vt20 million.","date":"2025-12-17","source":"https://dig.watch/countries/vanuatu"},{"kind":"regulation","industry":"Government & Public Sector","region":"Vanuatu","org":"Government of Vanuatu","text":"Vanuatu's Digital Transformation Act No. 42 of 2025, in force from 17 December 2025, applies Vanuatu AI regulation through a permit regime for ICT operators, carving out a distinct category for artificial intelligence and AI-linked data services. Oversight sits with the Department of Communications and Digital Transformation, which gains authority to draft national AI frameworks, while a newly formed National Digital Steering Committee vets major cybersecurity, ICT and AI strategies before they go to the Council of Ministers. The law reflects governance built through broader digital statutes rather than a standalone AI-specific act, with annual permits required of all providers, including artificial intelligence in government services.","date":"2025-12","source":"https://www.levellers.ai/what-is/ai-regulation-vanuatu"}]}