AI Horizons: Latin America

On May 19, 2026, Meridian International Center convened the second installment in a series of roundtable discussions on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Global South. “AI Horizons: Latin America” brought together individuals from across diplomacy, technology, academia, and entrepreneurship to discuss how the region can stay ahead of the impacts of AI and boost the development of local-led initiatives, while still contending with critical gaps in cooperation, education, and investment.  

Here were the top takeaways from the program:

1. Regional Collaboration is Key for Sustained Growth 

Throughout the discussion, participants consistently returned to the core theme of addressing AI risks, opportunities, and input gaps in Latin America from a collective standpoint. Participants discussed the importance of approaching the compute gap and data collection as a region, to more quickly close infrastructure and input gaps by pooling resources rather than individually undertaking costly and slow projects. Institutions, standards, and frameworks as they pertain to AI adoption and governance should also be coordinated by countries across the region, accounting for differing levels in technological advancement. Over the last few years, a series of regional governance initiatives and declarations surrounding responsible AI have emerged, including the Montevideo Declaration (2024), the Ibero-American Forum of Digital Parliamentarians (2024), and the Cartagena Declaration (2024). As one participant emphasized, these regional frameworks should be risk-based, flexible, and proportionate.  

2. Locally Relevant AI Will Drive Meaningful Adoption

Multiple participants called attention to the importance of recognizing Latin America as more than a consumer of existing AI models, but also a space to build solutions that address regional needs and opportunities. AI should be adopted, integrated, and applied to the local context of Latin American societies – accounting for distinctive cultures, languages, and industries – rather than competing in foundation model development. One participant noted that open-source models present a particularly promising avenue for AI development in the region, as users can develop culturally relevant solutions while bypassing proprietary licenses.  

3. Weak Public-Private Partnerships Present a Significant Barrier to Innovation 

During the discussion, a commonly cited obstacle to innovation-oriented growth and development in Latin America was the lack of strong, stable partnerships across the public and private sectors. While the value of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) has been identified at a high level, implementation remains a key challenge. With regards to the public sector, corruption and lack of public trust hamper opportunities for collaboration in many areas or countries. To address this, one participant noted the value of utilizing transparency initiatives, public information, and plain language in government policies. AI and other technologies can also be used to optimize policy itself, and ensure that government initiatives are backed by data, addressing real problems, and delivering their mandates. While participants cautioned against unregulated private sector growth, multiple speakers, bringing their direct experiences in launching start-up ventures in countries including Mexico and Peru, reflected on the challenges they faced in partnering with public offices. These included navigating government reluctance toward investing in local AI initiatives.  There is significant regional variation in government support for startups and accelerator programs, as a few participants commented on how changing administrations and political climates directly influences accessible funding.  Moving forward, effective channels for cooperation and participation are key to building sustainable innovation ecosystems across Latin America. 

4. Prioritize Education, Trainings, and Skills Development  

Numerous participants noted that Latin American societies are not lacking in natural innovators, with human capital standing as one of the region’s greatest resources. However, various speakers expressed concern with the knowledge gap between innovation capacity, and the skillsets and knowledge needed to become entrepreneurs. As an example, a series of studies carried out by the Asociación de Emprendedores de México (ASEM) found that nearly 60% of those surveyed, representing Mexican entrepreneurs across all sectors, use AI for regular tasks but lack an understanding of how to scale their approaches to grow as founders. Furthermore, results of the 2025 Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index (ILIA) identified talent gaps as one of the most critical challenges facing the region, with 13 of 19 examined countries lacking in early AI skills development. During the roundtable, participants called attention to the importance of education in building a strong workforce, with a particular focus on youth and marginalized populations. A strong educational foundation complemented by AI-focused training and specialized initiatives will help drive a systems-wide transformation, where AI is not just understood but where citizens are also empowered to adopt and use AI capabilities. 

5. Capital Exists, but the Lack of Long-term Investments and Supportive Financing Structures are Limiting Growth 

Ultimately, participants agreed that traditional access to financial resources does not represent a significant barrier to growth in Latin America, with private and institutional investors spread throughout the region. However, multiple contributors identified the challenge of attracting “patient capital” to the region, or capital that takes years before seeing a long-term return on investment, a necessity for structural investments that underpin ecosystems. Governments were identified as possibly the best fit to provide patient capital, provided the trust gap referenced above could be bridged. Other solutions might be necessary. Overall, while AI presents a strong opportunity, initial investments in surrounding infrastructure and technology may prove riskier to investors without cohesive financial strategies or accountability mechanisms.

Project summary

AI Horizons: Latin America | May 2027
Impact Areas:	Science and Technology
Program Areas:	Technology, Innovation, & Space