Chile, Brazil and Uruguay lead the Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index

Asunción, IP Agency.- The results of the 2nd edition of the Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index (ILIA 2024) demonstrate that Chile, Brazil and Uruguay are the main countries in the region that have advanced in the implementation of technologies based on AI, and are guiding their national strategies towards the consolidation and expansion of these technologies.

Other countries in the region follow them in the “adopters” category. Among them are Argentina (55.77), Colombia (52.64) and Mexico (51.40).

According to the study, although the region has doubled the percentage of concentration of AI talent in the workforce on average in the last eight years, no country has reached the levels that countries in the global north had at the beginning of the year. same period.

The three pioneering countries in AI (Chile, Brazil and Uruguay) have not only advanced in the implementation of AI-based technologies, but are also orienting their national strategies towards the consolidation and expansion of these technologies in all sectors of their economy. and society. They also have a favorable environment that promotes research, development and adoption of technologies, promoting innovation and application of AI.

The National Center for Artificial Intelligence of Chile (CENIA) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) presented this Tuesday, September 24, 2024, the results of the 2nd edition of the Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index (ILIA 2024), a study led by CENIA that this year evaluated the situation of 19 countries in the region, measuring the level of preparation of each of them in relation to artificial intelligence (AI).

Of the maximum ILIA score (100 points), Chile obtained first place in the ranking, with 73.07 points, followed by Brazil (69.30) and Uruguay (64.98).

The Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation of Chile, Aisén Etcheverry, said: «Having an index of this nature helps us move forward with consistent policies and is fundamental for the success of these strategies. (…) Soon those who are going to vote will not be informed by door-to-door or what they read in the formal media, but by content on social networks. For young people, the future they imagine is full of fears about how AI will replace them. That is the level of change and it is the digital transformation that we all talk about. We are proud to be in a good position, which means that as a State we have prepared ourselves. The challenges are endless and having a tool like this is essential.

“The new technological revolution, marked by artificial intelligence, has the potential to become a key engine to overcome the development traps in which Latin America and the Caribbean is mired. AI can drive innovation and address key challenges in health, education and the environment. AI can optimize government administrative processes, improve decision-making and respond better to citizen demands. But it can also deepen pre-existing socioeconomic gaps if we do not act quickly and decisively, especially in terms of investment, infrastructure, education, computing capabilities and regulation,” said the Deputy Executive Secretary of ECLAC, Javier Medina Vásquez.

“For the European Union, the European Union – Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Digital Alliance has become one of the central pillars of our Global Gateway strategy in the region. The EU-LAC Digital Alliance promotes the joint interest of our two regions in a human-centered digital transformation model. Artificial intelligence is a priority topic of this alliance and the axis of one of the high-level bi-regional political dialogues on digital issues, which will be held in November of this year in Santiago together with the eLAC Ministerial. The expansion of this AI index that is launched today is a clear concrete example of cooperation between the EU and LAC on digitalization,” highlighted the Ambassador of the European Union in Chile, Claudia Gintersdorfer.

For his part, Rodrigo Durán, manager of CENIA, highlighted, among the main findings of the 2024 study, that “the incorporation of generative AI tools in the work carried out by people who work in the 100 most important occupations in Chile, which represent 5.69 million workers, it could mean an increase of 1.21 percentage points in annual growth, equivalent to USD$3,381 million.

Durán also pointed out that, although the development of human talent specialized in AI in Latin America and the Caribbean has increased, we are still far below the figures in the northern hemisphere. Likewise, there is a flight of talent that is not retained in the region, with the exception of Costa Rica and Uruguay, which have managed to attract more talent than they have lost. “The three most outstanding countries in Human Talent are Chile (74.3), Uruguay (62.11) and Costa Rica (46.99),” says Durán.

The three pioneering countries have demonstrated maturity in the dimensions analyzed: Enabling Factors; Research, Development and Adoption; and Governance. In general terms, they stand out for their efforts in key areas such as technological infrastructure, development of specialized talent, scientific productivity and innovation capacity.

The Research, Development and Adoption dimension, for example, shows an average of 47.41 points among 19 countries. The scores of Brazil (79.15), Chile (75.36), Uruguay (66.89) and Mexico (66.18) show the advanced capabilities in this aspect in these four countries. The vast opportunities for improvement are evident in the rest of the countries that achieved low scores in this area, either due to low investment in AI or lack of incentives.

Regarding scientific development in artificial intelligence, the ILIA observed a growing number of multidisciplinary publications associated with AI, reaching a total of 80% in the region. About 70% of the publications are concentrated in 10 disciplines, led by clinical medicine.

In terms of infrastructure, Uruguay (67.90 points), Chile (67.58) and Costa Rica (55.86) lead the list, while in data availability Brazil (53.64) and Uruguay (50.77) stand out. ). Finally, the countries with high computing capacity (those with a score above 35 points) are Costa Rica (51.11), Chile (45.81), Uruguay (41.92) and Argentina (37.68).

Regarding the impact of AI as a driver of regional development and entrepreneurship, ILIA 2024 shows that the most industrialized and competitive countries in the global market, such as Mexico and Brazil, exhibit better patenting rates, high-tech workers, unicorn companies and cutting-edge manufacturing technology. In countries such as Chile, Uruguay and Costa Rica, better levels of entrepreneurial environment, private investment, and the emergence of startups (emerging companies) are observed.

Regarding AI governance, Chile has shown a high level of development through public policies that transcend governments, which promote a long-term strategic vision for the adoption of artificial intelligence technology in an ethical and responsible manner, in addition to a regulatory framework that provides legal certainty and clear guidelines for the implementation of AI in the public and private sectors.

The study also highlights the opportunity that AI offers in terms of conversion and diversification of the productive matrix of countries, given that the adoption of AI technologies can boost innovation in sectors such as green energy, advanced manufacturing, agribusiness and services. financial, creating new business and employment opportunities with high added value.