The Enabling Factors dimension measures the progress of those elements that are necessary conditions for AI ecosystems to develop effectively, such as digital infrastructure, data availability and use, and human talent.
This dimension has a weight of 40% in the final calculation of the index, considering the importance of these conditions for AI development in the countries.
The Enabling Factors dimension measures the progress of those elements that are necessary conditions for AI ecosystems to develop effectively, such as digital infrastructure, data availability and use, and human talent.
This dimension has a weight of 40% in the final calculation of the index, considering the importance of these conditions for AI development in the countries.
La acelerada mejora de países como Ecuador, República Dominicana y Guatemala en esta versión son señales de que los países en estadios más tempranos de madurez se están poniendo al día a paso acelerado. Este fenómeno refleja el impacto positivo de reformas educativas, inversión en infraestructura digital o apertura institucional. El resultado de estos países se explica por mejoras de conectividad, en su capacidad en datos y en la mejora del talento humano por medio de incluir la IA dentro de los currículos y por el aumento de la oferta de posgrados en IA.
A medida que estos países mejoran sus indicadores, se generan nuevas oportunidades para alianzas regionales menos asimétricas y colaboraciones multilaterales que antes eran improbables. Desde la perspectiva de la integración latinoamericana, este despertar tecnológico también interpela a los países líderes a asumir un rol de cooperación más activo y estratégico, para evitar que la región profundice su histórica fragmentación digital y de capacidades técnicas.
Aunque América Latina produce grandes volúmenes de datos a través de sistemas públicos, privados y sociales, gran parte de esta información no está disponible para el desarrollo de soluciones basadas en IA. La subdimensión de Datos muestra aumentos significativos en el puntaje de los países en cuanto a capacidad y gobernanza de datos, pero un estancamiento en la disponibilidad de los mismos, salvo algunas excepciones. Esta brecha entre generación y disponibilidad limita el desarrollo de soluciones locales, reduce la transparencia gubernamental y restringe el avance de la ciencia abierta y de la inteligencia artificial. Las diferencias en los marcos de gobernanza de datos entre países impiden la creación de ecosistemas de datos interoperables, seguros y accesibles. Si no se avanza en robustecer los ecosistemas de datos a partir de su apertura y estandarización, se corre el riesgo de que las decisiones algorítmicas se basen en conjuntos de datos incompletos o sesgados, generando consecuencias negativas para la equidad y la eficiencia de las políticas públicas.
En la subdimensión Datos, el promedio regional subió de 35,7 a 47,73 puntos gracias a mejoras en Capacidades (Ecuador +30,49 puntos) y Gobernanza (Guatemala +28,25). Sin embargo, el componente de Disponibilidad de datos muestra estancamiento en varios países: aunque Chile (66) y México (56,33) lideran, 15 de los 19 países del ILIA se mantienen por debajo de 50 puntos. Esta brecha implica que la producción de datos no siempre se traduce en apertura efectiva para IA, limitando transparencia y ciencia abierta.
Cada vez hay más países que incorporan materias de inteligencia artificial dentro del currículo escolar. En esta versión se observan 6 países que abordan estas materias, un aumento relevante respecto a los 2 países de la versión anterior, siendo los nuevos Costa Rica, Ecuador, República Dominicana y Uruguay. Si bien esto representa un aumento del 200%, aún son 13 de los 19 países del ILIA aquellos que no incorporan esta materia en sus currículos. La inclusión de contenidos de inteligencia artificial en los currículos escolares representa un paso importante hacia la construcción de capacidades endógenas en tecnología. No se trata solo de una actualización curricular, sino aparentemente de una apuesta estratégica por desarrollar pensamiento computacional, capacidad crítica frente a los algoritmos y, sobre todo, por inspirar a futuras generaciones a participar activamente en la creación de tecnologías emergentes. Esta decisión política puede tener un impacto profundo en el largo plazo: cuanto antes los niños y niñas se expongan a los conceptos fundamentales de IA, mayores serán sus posibilidades de liderar procesos de innovación en sus comunidades. Además, esto sienta las bases para una soberanía tecnológica genuina, donde los países no solo consuman tecnologías extranjeras, sino que también las produzcan con pertinencia local.
El posicionamiento de Costa Rica como líder regional en habilidades profesionales en IA se condice con una estrategia que combina educación, infraestructura tecnológica y políticas de talento. Costa Rica es el país con la mayor penetración de habilidades en IA entre sus profesionales, duplicando al país en segunda posición, mientras que es el segundo país con mayor demanda de cursos de IA. Junto con sus avances en educación temprana en IA y un aumento en la oferta de posgrados de IA, su ejemplo muestra que es posible consolidar ecosistemas tecnológicos robustos incluso en economías medianas. Esta apuesta por el desarrollo centrado en el talento es replicable y ofrece lecciones valiosas para países que desean fortalecer su competitividad digital sin depender exclusivamente de grandes inversiones en infraestructura física. Costa Rica evidencia que el capital humano sigue siendo un activo estratégico en la economía del conocimiento.
El caso de Colombia revela una ciudadanía altamente proactiva en la búsqueda de formación en IA a través de plataformas no formales como Coursera. Esto habla de un ecosistema donde el interés por aprender sobrepasa la oferta institucional y donde el aprendizaje autodirigido se convierte en una fuente clave para el talento humano. Esta tendencia puede acelerar el cierre de brechas de habilidades y facilitar la integración de la IA en múltiples sectores económicos.
En junio de 2020, Colombia realizó un convenio con Coursera para facilitar 3.800 cursos gratuitos a sus ciudadanos, convirtiéndose en el primer país del mundo en asociarse con la plataforma. El ejemplo de Colombia muestra que, para que este potencial se materialice, los sistemas de acreditación, validación de competencias y articulación con el mercado laboral deben adaptarse a los nuevos formatos de aprendizaje de las distintas plataformas disponibles.
Brasil tiene más de 121.000 teraflops por segundo de capacidad cómputo de alto rendimiento (HPC, por sus siglas en inglés), equivalente a más del 90% del total regional, seguido a gran distancia por Argentina (8.582) y México (7.235). El liderazgo brasileño en capacidad de cómputo de alto rendimiento es reflejo de una infraestructura tecnológica consolidada en una de las economías más grandes de la región, pero también denota una concentración de estas capacidades en el escenario regional. Mientras tanto, la mejor distribución relativa en la capacidad de GPUs per cápita abre una puerta para el desarrollo de IA en economías más pequeñas como Uruguay, Costa Rica y Colombia. Un mayor acceso a capacidad de cómputo de GPUs, servicios en la nube y consorcios tecnológicos regionales puede ser una estrategia eficaz para nivelar el terreno de juego para promover el desarrollo de soluciones de inteligencia artificial. La región necesita aumentar y consolidar sus capacidades de infraestructura de IA, con un mayor acceso a capacidad cómputo, de manera que mejore su resiliencia para el desarrollo y despliegue de la IA a través de un activo habilitante fundamental como la capacidad de GPUs
El desarrollo de infraestructura digital marca el límite de las posibilidades de la inteligencia artificial en cada país. Una IA robusta requiere conectividad confiable, centros de datos eficientes, acceso a dispositivos adecuados y marcos regulatorios modernos. La madurez en países como Brasil y Chile contrasta con el rezago estructural en otros contextos, donde la conectividad rural o la falta de dispositivos limitan el despliegue de soluciones inteligentes. Invertir en infraestructura no es solo una apuesta económica, sino también una forma de garantizar el derecho a beneficiarse de las tecnologías emergentes de manera equitativa.
Solo tres países de la región muestran una infraestructura robusta: Brasil (71,43), Uruguay (70,46) y Chile (63,81). En contraste, 11 de los 19 países del ILIA aún no superan la barrera de los 50 puntos. El patrón sugiere que, mientras los líderes refuerzan capacidades en conectividad, cómputo y dispositivos, otros países aún carecen de la base habilitante para un despliegue sostenido de IA. Esta brecha de infraestructura condiciona la adopción de soluciones avanzadas.
Las estadísticas de acceso a computadoras, smartphones e internet revelan una realidad preocupante: millones de personas en América Latina y el Caribe aún están fuera del ecosistema digital. Mientras que el promedio regional de hogares con acceso a internet es de cerca del 64%, aún hay países donde el acceso no supera el tercio de la población; algo similar ocurre con el porcentaje de hogares con computadora, con un promedio regional de 38,7%, donde 8 países no superan el tercio de los hogares. En un contexto donde la IA comienza a integrarse en servicios esenciales como salud, educación y finanzas, esta exclusión puede traducirse en nuevas formas de desigualdad estructural. Cerrar las brechas digitales no es solo conectar más hogares: es crear condiciones para la participación efectiva en la economía del siglo XXI.
Aunque las velocidades de internet en la región han mejorado notablemente, aún queda por resolver otros elementos para avanzar en un acceso habilitante para la IA. Persisten brechas importantes como las suscripciones a banda ancha móvil y fija, donde el promedio regional es de solo 15 suscripciones por cada 100 personas en el caso de esta última; hogares con acceso a internet, donde menos de la mitad de la población tiene acceso en 5 países; y cobertura 5G, donde 7 países tienen 0% de cobertura. Para que la IA pueda escalar en sectores públicos y privados, se requiere una conectividad que sea estable, segura y universal. La infraestructura de telecomunicaciones debe ser planificada con una visión de largo plazo, integrando criterios de equidad territorial, resiliencia climática y sostenibilidad económica.
Más posgrados, más IA: la apuesta por el talento avanzado
El crecimiento en la oferta de programas de magíster y doctorado en IA en países de la región representa un giro estratégico hacia la formación de talento altamente calificado. En esta versión, 17 de los 19 países de la región tienen programas de magíster en IA, con 179 programas en total, mientras que se duplicó el número de países con programas de doctorado en IA, de 4 a 8, con la incorporación de Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay y Perú y 29 programas en total. Este fortalecimiento de la academia es esencial para reducir la dependencia tecnológica del exterior y fomentar una IA contextualizada, alineada con las necesidades sociales y productivas locales. Además, permite que los países de la región participen activamente en la frontera del conocimiento, abriendo oportunidades para liderar investigaciones, crear productos tecnológicos exportables y nutrir el ecosistema de innovación con base científica.
The Awakening of Late Adopters: New Dynamism in the Regional Landscape
The rapid improvement of countries such as Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala in this edition shows that nations at earlier stages of maturity are catching up quickly.
This momentum reflects the positive impact of educational reforms, investment in digital infrastructure, and growing institutional engagement. Their performance is driven by progress in connectivity, data capacity, and human talent, particularly the integration of AI into school curricula and the expansion of postgraduate AI programs.
As these countries raise their capabilities, new opportunities emerge for more balanced regional alliances and multilateral cooperation that once seemed unlikely.
From the perspective of Latin American integration, this technological awakening calls on leading countries to play a more active and strategic role in cooperation to prevent the region from further deepening its historical digital and technological fragmentation.
Plenty of Data, Limited Value: The Availability Bottleneck
Although Latin America generates vast amounts of data across public, private, and social systems, much of it remains inaccessible for AI-driven solutions.
The Data subdimension reveals strong progress in data capacity and governance, but persistent stagnation in data availability with only a few exceptions.
This gap limits the development of locally relevant AI solutions, reduces government transparency, and slows advances in open science and innovation. Inconsistent data governance frameworks across the region also hinder the creation of interoperable, secure, and accessible data ecosystems.
If progress in openness and standardization falls short, AI systems will continue relying on incomplete or biased datasets, with negative consequences for equity and policy effectiveness.
Regional performance illustrates this challenge clearly: the average Data score increased from 35.7 to 47.73 points, driven by improvements in Capacity (Ecuador +30.49 points) and Governance (Guatemala +28.25 points). However, the Availability component remains stagnant in many countries: although Chile (66) and Mexico (56.33) lead, 15 out of 19 ILIA countries remain below 50 points. This disconnect shows that data production does not necessarily translate into meaningful openness for AI, restricting transparency and open research.
AI Enters the Classroom
A growing number of countries are incorporating artificial intelligence into school curricula. In this edition, six countries now include AI content (up from just two in the previous edition), with Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay joining. Despite this 200% increase, 13 out of 19 ILIA countries still do not offer AI-related subjects in basic education.
Integrating AI into education is a strategic investment in endogenous technological capabilities.
Integrating AI into education is a strategic investment in endogenous technological capabilities.
Costa Rica: A Strategic Bet on Human Talent in AI
Costa Rica: A Strategic Bet on Human Talent in AI
Costa Rica’s leadership in professional AI skills reflects a strategy that brings together education, digital infrastructure, and talent development policies.
The country has the highest penetration of AI skills among its professionals, more than double the second-ranked country, and ranks second in demand for AI courses.
Combined with advances in early AI education and the growth of postgraduate programs, Costa Rica demonstrates that robust technological ecosystems can be built within medium-sized economies.
This human-talent-centered approach is replicable and offers valuable insights for countries seeking to strengthen their digital competitiveness without relying solely on large-scale infrastructure investment. Costa Rica proves that human capital is a decisive strategic asset in the knowledge economy.
Colombia: A Leader in Self-Directed Learning
Colombia stands out for a highly proactive public interested in AI training through platforms such as Coursera.
This reflects an environment where the demand for learning exceeds formal institutional offerings and where self-directed learning becomes a key engine for developing human talent.
This trend can accelerate the closing of skills gaps and support AI adoption across multiple economic sectors.
In June 2020, Colombia became the first country in the world to partner with Coursera on a national level, offering citizens access to 3,800 free courses.
For this potential to fully translate into economic impact, accreditation systems, skills validation mechanisms, and labor market alignment must evolve to recognize the new learning pathways enabled by these platforms.
High Concentration of Computing Power, but Greater Equity in AI Development
Brazil has more than 121,000 teraflops per second of high-performance computing (HPC) capacity, representing over 90% of the regional total, far ahead of Argentina (8,582) and Mexico (7,235).
This reflects a consolidated technological infrastructure in one of the region’s largest economies but also underscores a strong geographic concentration of advanced computing resources.
In contrast, the per-capita distribution of GPUs shows a more equitable landscape, creating new opportunities for AI development in smaller economies such as Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Colombia.
Expanding access to GPU power, cloud services, and regional technology consortia can help level the playing field and stimulate local AI innovation.
Strengthening HPC and GPU capacity is essential for resilience and autonomy in AI development. Scaling infrastructure will be key to enabling the region not only to adopt AI effectively but to shape it according to local priorities.
Unequal Infrastructure: The Ceiling of the Regional AI Ecosystem
Digital infrastructure directly determines each country’s capacity to adopt and scale AI solutions. Reliable connectivity, efficient data centers, adequate devices, and modern regulatory frameworks form the foundation of AI readiness.
While countries such as Brazil and Chile show strong maturity, others face structural barriers, like weak rural connectivity and limited device access, that hinder the deployment of intelligent systems.
Only three countries demonstrate robust infrastructure scores: Brazil (71.43), Uruguay (70.46), and Chile (63.81). Meanwhile, 11 out of 19 ILIA countries remain below the 50-point mark. This gap indicates that although leaders continue to build momentum in connectivity and computing, much of the region still lacks the basic enabling conditions for sustained AI deployment.
Infrastructure gaps create an upper limit on technological progress and on equal participation in digital transformation.
Technology Without Access Is Exclusion: The Urgency of Closing Digital Gaps
Indicators of access to computers, smartphones, and the internet reveal a stark reality: millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean remain disconnected from the digital ecosystem. While regional averages reveal that 64% of households have internet access and 38.7% of households have a computer, access does not reach even one-third of households in several countries.
As AI becomes embedded in essential services such as health, education, and finance, digital exclusion risks becoming a new driver of structural inequality.
Closing digital divides is not only about connectivity, but also about ensuring full participation in the 21st-century society and economy.
Connectivity Is Improving, but Not Enough
While internet speeds have advanced substantially, several key connectivity indicators remain insufficient to support widespread AI adoption.
For instance, regional averages show a mobile and fixed broadband subscriptions of only 15 subscriptions per-100 people for the latter; in households with internet access, less than half the population has access in 5 countries; and in 5G coverage, 7 countries have 0% coverage.
For AI to scale across sectors, connectivity must be stable, secure, and universal. Telecommunications planning must adopt a long-term vision that incorporates territorial equity, climate resilience, and sustainable business models.
More Graduate Programs, More AI: Investing in Advanced Talent
The expansion of master’s and doctoral programs in AI marks a strategic shift toward cultivating highly qualified talent in the region. In this edition, 17 out of 19 countries now offer master’s programs in AI, with 179 master’s programs in total; doctoral programs increased from 4 to 8 countries, reaching 29 programs overall, with Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, and Peru joining.
Strengthening academic specialization is essential to reduce dependence on foreign expertise and to promote AI solutions tailored to local needs.
It enhances the region’s ability to contribute at the global knowledge frontier, leading research, developing exportable technologies, and fueling innovation grounded in scientific excellence.
The rapid improvement of countries such as Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala in this edition shows that nations at earlier stages of maturity are catching up quickly. This momentum reflects the positive impact of educational reforms, investment in digital infrastructure, and growing institutional engagement. Their performance is driven by progress in connectivity, data capacity, and human talent, particularly the integration of AI into school curricula and the expansion of postgraduate AI programs.
As these countries raise their capabilities, new opportunities emerge for more balanced regional alliances and multilateral cooperation that once seemed unlikely. From the perspective of Latin American integration, this technological awakening calls on leading countries to play a more active and strategic role in cooperation to prevent the region from further deepening its historical digital and technological fragmentation.
Although Latin America generates vast amounts of data across public, private, and social systems, much of it remains inaccessible for AI-driven solutions. The Data subdimension reveals strong progress in data capacity and governance, but persistent stagnation in data availability with only a few exceptions. This gap limits the development of locally relevant AI solutions, reduces government transparency, and slows advances in open science and innovation. Inconsistent data governance frameworks across the region also hinder the creation of interoperable, secure, and accessible data ecosystems.
If progress in openness and standardization falls short, AI systems will continue relying on incomplete or biased datasets, with negative consequences for equity and policy effectiveness.
Regional performance illustrates this challenge clearly: the average Data score increased from 35.7 to 47.73 points, driven by improvements in Capacity (Ecuador +30.49 points) and Governance (Guatemala +28.25 points). However, the Availability component remains stagnant in many countries: although Chile (66) and Mexico (56.33) lead, 15 out of 19 ILIA countries remain below 50 points. This disconnect shows that data production does not necessarily translate into meaningful openness for AI, restricting transparency and open research.
A growing number of countries are incorporating artificial intelligence into school curricula. In this edition, six countries now include AI content (up from just two in the previous edition), with Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay joining. Despite this 200% increase, 13 out of 19 ILIA countries still do not offer AI-related subjects in basic education.
Integrating AI into education is a strategic investment in endogenous technological capabilities. It not only updates curricula but also promotes computational thinking, critical analysis of algorithms, and, most importantly, inspires new generations to take an active role in creating emerging technologies. Early exposure to foundational AI concepts expands future opportunities for innovation and contributes to technological sovereignty, enabling countries to become producers –not only consumers– of technology adapted to local needs.
Costa Rica’s leadership in professional AI skills reflects a strategy that brings together education, digital infrastructure, and talent development policies. The country has the highest penetration of AI skills among its professionals, more than double the second-ranked country, and ranks second in demand for AI courses. Combined with advances in early AI education and the growth of postgraduate programs, Costa Rica demonstrates that robust technological ecosystems can be built within medium-sized economies.
This human-talent-centered approach is replicable and offers valuable insights for countries seeking to strengthen their digital competitiveness without relying solely on large-scale infrastructure investment. Costa Rica proves that human capital is a decisive strategic asset in the knowledge economy.
Colombia stands out for a highly proactive public interested in AI training through platforms such as Coursera. This reflects an environment where the demand for learning exceeds formal institutional offerings and where self-directed learning becomes a key engine for developing human talent. This trend can accelerate the closing of skills gaps and support AI adoption across multiple economic sectors.
In June 2020, Colombia became the first country in the world to partner with Coursera on a national level, offering citizens access to 3,800 free courses. For this potential to fully translate into economic impact, accreditation systems, skills validation mechanisms, and labor market alignment must evolve to recognize the new learning pathways enabled by these platforms.
Brazil has more than 121,000 teraflops per second of high-performance computing (HPC) capacity, representing over 90% of the regional total, far ahead of Argentina (8,582) and Mexico (7,235). This reflects a consolidated technological infrastructure in one of the region’s largest economies but also underscores a strong geographic concentration of advanced computing resources.
In contrast, the per-capita distribution of GPUs shows a more equitable landscape, creating new opportunities for AI development in smaller economies such as Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Colombia. Expanding access to GPU power, cloud services, and regional technology consortia can help level the playing field and stimulate local AI innovation.
Strengthening HPC and GPU capacity is essential for resilience and autonomy in AI development. Scaling infrastructure will be key to enabling the region not only to adopt AI effectively but to shape it according to local priorities.
Digital infrastructure directly determines each country’s capacity to adopt and scale AI solutions. Reliable connectivity, efficient data centers, adequate devices, and modern regulatory frameworks form the foundation of AI readiness. While countries such as Brazil and Chile show strong maturity, others face structural barriers, like weak rural connectivity and limited device access, that hinder the deployment of intelligent systems.
Only three countries demonstrate robust infrastructure scores: Brazil (71.43), Uruguay (70.46), and Chile (63.81). Meanwhile, 11 out of 19 ILIA countries remain below the 50-point mark. This gap indicates that although leaders continue to build momentum in connectivity and computing, much of the region still lacks the basic enabling conditions for sustained AI deployment.
Infrastructure gaps create an upper limit on technological progress and on equal participation in digital transformation.
Indicators of access to computers, smartphones, and the internet reveal a stark reality: millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean remain disconnected from the digital ecosystem. While regional averages reveal that 64% of households have internet access and 38.7% of households have a computer, access does not reach even one-third of households in several countries. As AI becomes embedded in essential services such as health, education, and finance, digital exclusion risks becoming a new driver of structural inequality.
Closing digital divides is not only about connectivity, but also about ensuring full participation in the 21st-century society and economy.
While internet speeds have advanced substantially, several key connectivity indicators remain insufficient to support widespread AI adoption. For instance, regional averages show a mobile and fixed broadband subscriptions of only 15 subscriptions per-100 people for the latter; in households with internet access, less than half the population has access in 5 countries; and in 5G coverage, 7 countries have 0% coverage.
For AI to scale across sectors, connectivity must be stable, secure, and universal. Telecommunications planning must adopt a long-term vision that incorporates territorial equity, climate resilience, and sustainable business models.
The expansion of master’s and doctoral programs in AI marks a strategic shift toward cultivating highly qualified talent in the region. In this edition, 17 out of 19 countries now offer master’s programs in AI, with 179 master’s programs in total; doctoral programs increased from 4 to 8 countries, reaching 29 programs overall, with Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, and Peru joining.
Strengthening academic specialization is essential to reduce dependence on foreign expertise and to promote AI solutions tailored to local needs. It enhances the region’s ability to contribute at the global knowledge frontier, leading research, developing exportable technologies, and fueling innovation grounded in scientific excellence.
Addresses the technological support available in a country as a necessary condition for AI development, such as the number of high-performance computers, high-speed networks, and devices that allow good connectivity.
Measures the availability, capacity, and governance of data according to the performance of countries in the Global Data Barometer 2025.
Addresses the variables that influence the development of AI-related skills among the population and the workforce.
Addresses the technological support available in a country as a necessary condition for AI development, such as the number of high-performance computers, high-speed networks, and devices that allow good connectivity.
Measures the availability, capacity, and governance of data according to the performance of countries in the Global Data Barometer 2025.
Addresses the variables that influence the development of AI-related skills among the population and the workforce.
Access the 2025 edition of ILIA and learn about the main findings on the state of AI in Latin America and the Caribbean.
