Latin America AI Index Finds Computing and Business Adoption Gaps

ECLAC and CENIA released the fourth Latin American Index of Artificial Intelligence, which identifies computing capacity, business adoption and national strategy implementation as the region's largest gaps, according to The Gleaner. The ILIA 2026 report examines 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and compares selected indicators with Germany, Spain, Estonia, Portugal and Singapore.

The report found that 85 percent of the countries have a national AI strategy in force or under development, while 75 percent have an institution responsible for leading the agenda. Only Brazil and Colombia have explicitly assigned AI budgets within their national frameworks.

AI adoption stands at an estimated 27.6 percent among large companies, 12.8 percent among medium companies and 6.8 percent among small companies. The index also found that 65 percent of the countries have specialized research centers, more than half include AI in school curricula and all 20 offer graduate programs, although specialized skills remain scarce in the labor market.