On October 3, 2025, Chile’s National Center for Artificial Intelligence (CENIA) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) presented the third edition of the Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index (ILIA).
ILIA is organized into three dimensions:
- Enabling Factors (digital infrastructure, human talent, and data),
- Research, Development, and Adoption, and
- Governance.
Based on more than one hundred sub-indicators, ILIA 2025 provides a detailed overview of progress, gaps, and strategic opportunities in the deployment of AI in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Some Progress
The 2025 edition highlights several positive developments in the region, such as:
- Improvements in research ecosystems, reflected in the growth of PhD and master’s programs in the region.
- Consolidation of internet penetration, which facilitates the rapid expansion of AI applications in the countries analyzed by ILIA.
- Strong resurgence of investment in data centers of various scales across the region, with public investments totaling nearly USD 200 million this year, and private sector announcements exceeding USD 8 billion over the next 10 years.
Significant Limitations
However, the report highlights a lack of decisive actions and investments that match the urgency of the current technological moment—despite clear evidence of AI’s favorable impact on productivity, employment, quality of life, and new business creation.
Low Investment
No country in the region exceeds the global average for AI investment as a percentage of GDP per capita, and the regional average is six times below that threshold.
The region accounts for 6.6% of global GDP and 8.8% of the world’s population, but just 1.12% of global AI investment.
While digital infrastructure has improved, it remains uneven.
Brazil holds more than 90% of the region’s high-performance computing capacity, while countries like Uruguay, Colombia, and Costa Rica show better per capita indicators, but still fall short in absolute terms.
Shortage of Technical Training
Although basic digital literacy and interest in technical education have grown, the availability of AI experts has not kept pace.
There is a mismatch between general literacy and advanced training: for every person specialized in AI, there are at least four with general knowledge—reflecting a training bottleneck that limits the region’s ability to develop relevant, scalable, and homegrown AI solutions.
Furthermore, 13 out of 19 countries analyzed have not yet integrated AI skills into basic education, and 11 do not offer PhD programs in AI.
In terms of scientific production, the region is highly concentrated: Brazil and Mexico account for 68% of active researchers, and together with Argentina, Chile, and Colombia, they produce 90% of publications.
Limited Content Production
A lack of data openness, standardization, and governance hinders the development of local AI solutions, reduces transparency, and limits progress in open science.
Interoperability and data traceability are advancing slowly, and regulatory debates—although necessary—often outpace technical capacity, leading to regulatory frameworks that are either inapplicable or overly restrictive.
Sustainability Not Yet Considered
Sustainability—both environmental and social—remains largely absent from most AI policies.
Despite the growing environmental impact of training large language models, the ecological dimension has not been integrated as a guiding principle in national strategies.
The challenge is to link digitalization policies with productive development policies, so that AI translates not only into productivity, innovation, and regional value chains, but also into greater social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and institutional strengthening.
Closing infrastructure, talent, and governance gaps—while incorporating sustainability and gender equity considerations—and strengthening regional cooperation will be key to making AI a driver of structural transformation.
Regional Index
The results reflect a heterogeneous landscape: while some countries have consolidated leadership positions, others are progressing at an intermediate level or remain in early stages.
This diversity reveals AI’s potential as a driver of development, but also the risk of digital fragmentation that could deepen historical inequalities.
The index groups countries into three categories based on their maturity level:
- Pioneers: scoring above 60 points, stand out for their efforts in technological infrastructure, specialized talent, research, innovation, and governance.
- Adopters: scoring between 35 and 60, show intermediate progress but still face critical gaps, especially in research and innovation capacities.
- Explorers: scoring below 35 points, with emerging ecosystems and limited ability to deploy AI.
A chart follows, summarizing country scores.
Governance
In the area of governance, ILIA 2025 highlights the following points:
• Two realities coexist: countries with consolidated strategies (Brazil, Chile, Uruguay) and others without a defined roadmap.
• Most national strategies lack effective implementation mechanisms.
• The region has limited participation in international standardization bodies, reducing its influence on global rules.
• Legal progress has been made in cybersecurity and data protection, but technical capabilities remain insufficient.
• Sustainability is still absent as a guiding principle in AI policies, despite its increasing environmental impact.
Recommendations
ILIA 2025 offers a series of recommendations to improve the current landscape:
a) Integrate AI into productive development policies.
b) Close structural gaps in infrastructure, talent, and governance.
c) Promote inclusive and sustainable development models.
d) Design regulations that balance rights, innovation, and development.
e) Foster effective regional cooperation, particularly in training, standardization, and open science.
The report emphasizes that we are facing a unique and unprecedented moment which, unlike past technological revolutions, does not depend exclusively on advanced productive systems—allowing countries with diverse economic structures to join the transformation.
However, without bold and collaborative public policies, the risk of widening existing inequalities is high.