Chile, Brazil and Uruguay lead the ranking of the 2024 Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index

Chile, Brazil and Uruguay lead the ranking of the 2024 Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index

On September 24, Chile’s National Center for Artificial Intelligence (CENIA) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) published the 2nd edition of their Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index (ILIA 2024). The document presents a study that assesses the situation of 19 countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region, measuring the degree of preparedness of each of them in relation to the adoption, development and governance of artificial intelligence (AI). To do this, the index compares the countries, assessing their degree of maturity in AI based on certain criteria, such as enabling factors, research, development and adoption, and governance. Based on this analysis, it places them in 3 categories: pioneers, adopters or explorers. Chile, Brazil and Uruguay topped the rankings respectively.

First, ILIA 2024 explains the methodology adopted in its assessment, which can range from 0 to 100 points, with each criterion accounting for approximately 33.33% of the score. In this table, it shows the graph with the total score, with Chile leading the way with 73.07 points, followed by Brazil (69.03 points) and Uruguay (64.98 points). According to the document, pioneer countries are those that have a leading position, excelling in areas such as technological infrastructure, development of specialized talent, scientific productivity and innovation capacity, as well as guiding national strategies for the consolidation and expansion of AI technologies in all sectors of the economy and society.

At the second level, the so-called adopting countries are in an intermediate position, i.e. they have already introduced AI into various sectors of their economy and society, using this technology in the productive sectors, services and public administrations, but still in an incipient way, without reaching a leadership position. At the third level, which encompasses the so-called explorers, are those countries that are in the early stages of probing AI, still developing basic resources in the area.

ILIA 2024 then goes on to set out 10 important discoveries reached through the report. Among them, the document highlights that, in the last eight years, the concentration of AI talent in Latin America and the Caribbean has doubled, although the region still maintains a large disparity with countries in the global north. Despite this, the challenge is not only to train professionals, but also to retain them, given that the region is facing a significant talent drain. Also, the use of AI has the potential to increase the efficiency of the labor market, especially in countries like Chile, where GDP could grow by 1.2% with the proper implementation of these technologies. The adoption of AI is impacted by the economic structure of each country, being more advanced in nations with liberal economies, such as Uruguay and Costa Rica.

The index also warns that the participation of women in the field of AI is variable, and efforts to reduce gender inequality are still insufficient in most countries. On the other hand, multidisciplinary production in the field of AI, especially in clinical medicine, is growing, with 70% of publications concentrated in ten disciplines. In addition, ILIA shows an increase in legislative initiatives to regulate the use of AI, although some national policies still lack urgency. The creation of AI startups is still in its infancy in the region, and here ILIA points to the need for more support and funding for the growth of high-impact companies.

With regard to Brazil, classified as a pioneering country, one of its biggest highlights is in the dimension of enabling factors, a criterion that measures the progress of elements or conditions that constitute the starting point for AI ecosystems to develop effectively, and has the following variables: infrastructure, data and human resources. Within this criterion, the data variable deals with aspects that guarantee good data management, such as availability, usability and reliability. Here, Brazil stands out for being considered the most advanced data ecosystem among the countries analyzed, scoring 53.64 points compared to 35.76 points for the overall average. Brazil is also mentioned in the human resources variable, in an article that deals with an educational initiative developed by a Brazilian company in the sector, more specifically, “Plu”, an AI-based virtual assistant that aims to help teachers and students plan and adapt lessons more quickly, accurately and efficiently.

Similarly, Brazil leads the ranking in the research, development and adoption dimension, with 79.15 points, ahead of Chile (75.36), Uruguay (66.89) and Mexico (66.18). In addition, in one of the sub-indicators, the innovation and development sub-dimension, ILIA 2024 measures the dynamism and creative capacity of countries in the field of AI, such as the development of open technologies, the provision of collaborative platforms and the generation of patents to protect their inventions. In this regard, Brazil leads the ranking with 86.03 points, followed by Uruguay with 80.98. Brazil is also cited as a standout in the number of unicorn companies (with a valuation or share price above US$ 1 billion). Brazil scored 100 points, followed by Mexico, which scored 82.52. According to the report, this indicates the “capacity of an ecosystem to transform scientific research into commercial value through innovation”. Another index focused on the number of AI-related patents shows Mexico leading the way with 100 points (equivalent to 4.22 AI patents per million inhabitants) and Brazil with 90.78 points (3.84 AI patents per million inhabitants). The Latin American average in this respect is 21.78 points.

Finally, the report analyzes the legislative landscape and makes recommendations for current regulations on AI in Latin America and the Caribbean. One of the main general conclusions drawn up by ILIA 2024 is to alert authorities and leaders to the urgent need for national and regional agreements that promote comprehensive and coherent policies to promote AI. These policies must be supported by a decisive allocation of resources, which reflect the relevance and urgency necessary to ensure the healthy development of AI in the Latin America and Caribbean region.

The index can be accessed via the link: Índice Latinoamericano de Inteligencia Artificial

Note: For quick release, this English version is provided by automated translation without human review.