Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the world, and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean cannot and do not want to remain idly watching such changes from the sidelines.

That's why the recent conference "AI in Latin America and the Caribbean: Challenges, Strategies, and Governance for the Region's Development," organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (C) and held in Chile in early March, reaffirmed the need for a separate agenda for the region.

Because the use of AI can also be a way to address the low growth, inequalities, and other shortcomings that currently limit this region, contributing to its more inclusive, productive, and sustainable development.

Exploring the potential of AI in this regard was the goal of the meeting, in whose opening address, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, noted that “Without a doubt, digital technologies are part of the solution to overcoming the development traps facing the region. Economically, they can be major drivers of productivity growth. Socially, they can contribute to reducing inequality and increasing upward social mobility. As for institutions and governance, they can contribute to strengthening transparency, reducing corruption and waste of resources, and increasing state efficiency and citizen participation.”

But to make progress in these directions, Salazar-Xirinachs himself insisted that real, effective, and broad-based use of these technologies is needed, since if their putting into practice is limited to a few sectors of society, businesses, and individuals, the new technological revolution would generate greater inequality and exclusion, rather than greater equity and inclusion. “It’s essential to ensure that AI does not deepen existing inequalities or become an additional factor of exclusion,” he stressed.

Our website asked the Generative AI: What is the potential of AI to help Latin America and the Caribbean escape what the aforementioned conference described as the three major traps limiting the region's development: low capacity for growth and productive development; high inequality, low social mobility and fragile social cohesion; and weak institutional framework and ineffective governance?

This was their response:

Artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential to address the traps that limit development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Below are some ways it can help overcome these challenges:

Increasing the capacity for growth and productive development through the automation and optimization of processes in key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and services, increasing productivity.

Also by conducting predictive analytics that use data to predict market trends and behaviors, so that companies can adapt quickly and improve their competitiveness. AI can also assist in research and development, enabling the creation of innovative products that respond to market needs.

Regarding reducing inequality and improving social mobility, it’s possible to promote better access to education through AI-powered learning platforms that can provide personalized and accessible education to disadvantaged communities, improving job opportunities.

AI algorithms can assess the credit risk of people without a banking history, facilitating access to financing for entrepreneurs, and also have the potential to identify and design specific programs dedicated to vulnerable groups, promoting social inclusion.

Regarding strengthening institutions and governance, AI tools can analyze large volumes of data to detect irregularities and promote transparency in public administration. Furthermore, AI systems can provide real-time data analysis, supporting governments in making more informed and effective decisions, while AI-based digital platforms can facilitate citizen participation in policymaking and the oversight of government projects.

In her Final Considerations, it stated that "To leverage AI, it’s essential to invest in technological infrastructure and training, and it’s crucial to establish ethical and regulatory frameworks that guide the use of AI, ensuring that it benefits all sectors of society."

Undoubtedly, effective implementation of this tool can drive significant change for Latin America and the Caribbean, but AI alone cannot overcome inequalities, much less the arrogance of some powerful governments that insist on continuing to view this region as their backyard, where they believe they can command important enclaves like the Panama Canal and even believe they have the right to modify geographical names.