Latin American countries tap into the potential of the AI industry: expected to boost regional GDP growth by 5.6% by 2030

The Inter-American Development Bank's report "Development and Application of Artificial Intelligence in Latin America and the Caribbean" released this year shows that the rapid application of artificial intelligence is bringing major opportunities for technological upgrading to the Latin American region, and is expected to boost the region's GDP growth by 5.6% by 2030. At present, many Latin American countries have rolled out a series of supportive policies and measures, continuously broadening AI application scenarios, expanding investment in digital infrastructure, further strengthening regional and international cooperation, and accelerating the development of the AI industry.

Related applications generate multiple benefits

The Inter-American Development Bank report shows that AI applications in Latin America cover multiple fields including health, education, environmental management and security, generating multiple economic and social benefits.

In the healthcare sector, one of the earliest areas where AI was put into application, AI-assisted imaging diagnosis, remote consultations and medical record analysis are already widely used in Latin American countries. Earlier this year, Brazil announced the establishment of a national network of smart hospitals and precision medicine, setting out multiple goals including building a smart emergency response system network, smart hospitals and remote care systems, aimed at combining infrastructure with AI technology to improve public medical services. At present, smart intensive care units and smart medical systems have been put into operation in some Brazilian cities.

AI has become part of daily educational practice. In Uruguay, the "Ceibal Plan," which was once dedicated to providing every teacher and student with a laptop, is now integrating AI into the education system, drawing on nearly 20 years of digital education experience to foster a more complete educational ecosystem. The country has also launched AI training programs for teachers, enabling more teachers to use AI to assist in generating teaching content and assessing learning outcomes. Data released by the "Ceibal Plan" in May this year shows that about three-quarters of teachers in Uruguay have used AI in their teaching practice.

In several South American countries covered by the Amazon rainforest, AI is being used to assist in detecting environmental changes and protecting biodiversity. For example, last year the Colombian Air Force and the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies integrated satellite images with AI algorithms to quickly identify forest changes and strengthen early warning of deforestation. In Brazil, Peru and other countries, governments are working with companies to use similar methods to promptly identify threats to the relevant ecological environment.

Many Latin American countries are also using AI to improve administrative efficiency. In Honduras's Central District, residents send municipal problems such as potholes, standing water and blocked drains to the municipal office via a chat app, and the municipal AI agent automatically categorizes residents' requests and forwards them to the relevant departments for handling and follow-up. In August this year, Honduras launched its first municipal AI agent, integrating AI, data analysis and automation technology into municipal management, with other functions such as tax payment to be added in the future. Juan Zelaya, mayor of the Central District, said that AI is only meaningful if it truly improves people's lives, and he hopes to use the power of technology to reshape how the government operates.

Many countries roll out industrial support measures

According to the "2025 Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index" report jointly released last October by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and Chile's National Center for Artificial Intelligence, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay are in the first tier of AI ecosystem maturity in Latin America, leading in areas such as digital infrastructure, talent cultivation and research capacity.

Brazil launched its "Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Strategy" in 2021 and put forward a more detailed "Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Plan 2024-2028" in 2024. Under the plan, 23 billion reais (1 yuan is worth about 0.8 reais) is to be invested over four years, aiming to build Brazil into a leading country in AI innovation and efficient application, including building new supercomputers and developing Portuguese-language models, gradually enhancing the autonomy of AI technology.

Chile released the first version of its "National Artificial Intelligence Policy" in 2021 and established the Chilean National Center for Artificial Intelligence, focusing on AI research, technology transfer and talent cultivation. In 2024, Chile released a new version of its "National Artificial Intelligence Policy," proposing 177 specific measures formulated jointly by 14 government departments, including the Ministry of Education being responsible for updating AI curricula and the Ministry of Finance being responsible for AI ethics training. Earlier this year, Chile also awarded its first National Artificial Intelligence Award to recognize innovative solutions in the AI field. Fernando Sánchez, general manager of the Chilean Digital Country Foundation, which organized the event, said the winning cases show that AI in Chile has become a driving force for creating tangible value in multiple strategic fields.

Colombia, Costa Rica, Argentina, Peru, Mexico and other countries also attach relatively great importance to combining AI with industrial applications; AI open-source software developers are active, and the practical use of AI by individuals and enterprises is increasingly widespread. For example, in April this year Peru officially approved the "National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2026-2030," which lists AI talent and capacity cultivation, promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship, establishment of ethical and regulatory frameworks, and citizen participation in the use of technology as its four major pillars.

The Inter-American Development Bank report shows that Caribbean island countries, low-income countries and middle-income countries in Latin America lack AI infrastructure such as high-performance computing systems and extensive network connectivity. It recommends that these countries formulate practical plans for long-term infrastructure development and, in the short term, draw on other countries' infrastructure services to make up for shortcomings so as to benefit from AI applications.

Multilateral cooperation boosts industrial upgrading

At present, Latin American countries are actively carrying out regional and international cooperation through shared infrastructure, joint investment and collaborative research projects to promote the sustainable and inclusive development of artificial intelligence. In February this year, Chile's National Center for Artificial Intelligence led the launch of Latam—GPT, the region's first open-source large language model created using Latin American data; the project has the support of 65 institutions from 15 countries in the region, including Uruguay, Brazil and Colombia. Sergio Díaz-Granados, Executive President of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, said this is a concrete step for Latin America toward greater technological and cultural autonomy, and an opportunity for the region to play a more important role in the global AI industry in the future.

In recent years, regional multilateral institutions have continued to deepen discussions on AI development. Mercosur established a digital agenda group as early as 2017 to promote digital infrastructure connectivity and enhance digital skills. Topics such as "the impact of AI on international trade," "AI and the cultural and creative industries" and "exchanges of AI research talent" have gradually been added to Mercosur's agenda. The third Latin American and Caribbean Ministerial and High-Level Officials Summit on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, held in June this year, adopted the 2026–2027 Roadmap on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, further establishing priority development areas such as AI governance, talent training, digital literacy and environmental sustainability, and promoting policy implementation through the establishment of regional working groups and other means.

China is an important partner in the development of artificial intelligence in Latin American countries. In recent years, Huawei, Alibaba Cloud and others have deeply participated in the construction of data centers and 5G communication networks in Latin American countries such as Chile and Peru, expanded application scenarios such as smart agriculture, smart government and internet platform economy, and helped Latin America build digital industry ecosystems including artificial intelligence. A few days ago, the Brazilian government announced an investment of 2.5 billion reais to build infrastructure for the development and training of AI models, including a computing center built in cooperation with Chinese companies such as Huawei and iFlytek. Recently, Mexico and China signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in scientific and technological innovation, in which artificial intelligence, supercomputers and other fields are listed as important areas of cooperation.

At the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, the Chinese side announced that it will build an international AI application cooperation center for CELAC and others. Latin American countries such as Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua have also joined the World AI Cooperation Organization as founding members. "Artificial intelligence marks a new era frontier in the development of productive forces," said Javier Vadell, associate professor of international relations at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais in Brazil. He said China is playing a leading role, working with Global South countries including Latin American countries to promote the healthy development of the AI industry on the basis of innovation vitality and a people-centered approach, and is committed to establishing a global AI governance system under the framework of the United Nations.