Chile, Brazil, Uruguay Top AI Adoption in Latin America, ILIA 2025 Shows

When ECLAC and Chile’s CENIA unveiled the third edition of the Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index on October 3, 2025, the numbers were crystal clear: Chile, Brazil and Uruguay now sit atop the regional AI pyramid.

The index—officially titled Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index 2025 ReleaseSantiago—was launched in Santiago, Chile, and offers a granular, data‑driven portrait of how 19 countries are preparing for, adopting, and governing Artificial Intelligence. The index leans on more than 100 sub‑indicators spread across three dimensions: enabling factors (digital infrastructure, talent pools, data availability), research‑development‑adoption, and governance.

Background of the ILIA Index

First introduced in 2021, the ILIA has become the region’s de‑facto yardstick for AI readiness. By its third edition, the methodology had been refined to weigh high‑performance computing (HPC) capacity, AI‑related curricula, and the robustness of national AI strategies. In total, the report covered 19 nations, but the spotlight fell on eight economies that together account for over 80% of Latin America’s GDP: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.

According to the index, 14 % of global AI solution visits originate from Latin America and the Caribbean—a share that outpaces the region’s 11 % of worldwide internet users. That disproportionate appetite suggests a latent market hungry for AI‑driven services, even as underlying ecosystems remain uneven.

Who Leads: Pioneers and Adopters

The ILIA categorises countries into three buckets. "Pioneers" score over 60 points; "adopters" sit in the 40‑60 range; "explorers" fall below 40. Chile, Brazil and Uruguay have secured the pioneer badge. Brazil alone commands more than 90 % of the region’s HPC capacity, a critical lever for training large‑scale models.

Uruguay’s progress is equally striking. After revising its AI strategy in December 2024, the small nation now boasts a data‑center density that rivals larger neighbours. Chile, fresh off a May 2024 strategy overhaul, doubled its AI‑related research funding between 2023 and 2025, propelling dozens of new PhD programs.

Eight other countries—most notably Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic—have climbed into the "adopter" tier. Colombia’s revamped AI strategy, unveiled in January 2025, emphasises regional talent pipelines and public‑private R&D consortia. Ecuador and Costa Rica have poured resources into broadband expansion, narrowing the digital divide that once hamstrung AI rollout.

Key Projects and Investments

On the ground, flagship projects illustrate the practical upside of AI. In Santiago, Proyecto MIRAI Chile leverages deep‑learning algorithms to scan mammograms and predict breast‑cancer risk up to a decade in advance. Early pilots report a 15 % reduction in false‑positive diagnoses, translating into real‑world savings for the public health system.

Investment flows are also gaining momentum. Public spending on data‑center infrastructure hit nearly USD 200 million in 2025, while private commitments top USD 8 billion for the next ten years. Major telecoms, fintechs and agribusinesses have signalled multi‑year AI roadmaps, betting on everything from precision farming to automated credit scoring.

“The pace of private capital entering the AI space is unprecedented,” says Rosa Martínez, senior economist at ECLAC. “If governments can match that enthusiasm with coherent policy, the region could leapfrog traditional development bottlenecks.”

Challenges Facing the Region

Despite the optimism, several headwinds threaten sustained growth. The exodus of AI specialists—often dubbed the "brain drain"—has accelerated since 2022, with an estimated 12 % of the region’s top talent relocating to North America or Europe each year. Universities are scrambling to expand advanced AI curricula, yet enrollment in specialised master’s programmes still lags behind global averages.

Talent scarcity dovetails with a widening skill gap. Surveys reveal that only 38 % of firms feel they have enough qualified staff to deploy AI at scale, compared with 71 % in the OECD. This mismatch erodes productivity gains and inflates project costs.

Regulatory uncertainty further complicates matters. While most pioneer nations have drafted AI ethics guidelines, enforcement mechanisms remain embryonic. The lack of a harmonised regulatory framework hampers cross‑border data sharing—a necessity for training robust models.

Finally, inequality persists. More than one‑third of the 19 surveyed countries sit in the "explorer" category, characterised by nascent ecosystems, limited broadband penetration, and negligible AI‑related R&D budgets. The gap between the region’s leading trio and its laggards is widening, threatening to entrench existing development traps.

Policy Implications and Future Outlook

Addressing these challenges will require coordinated action on three fronts: human capital, infrastructure, and governance.

• Human capital: Governments should expand scholarships, foster industry‑academia partnerships, and incentivise diaspora talent to return.
• Infrastructure: Continued public‑private collaboration on data‑centers, broadband, and cloud services will level the playing field for smaller economies.
• Governance: Crafting clear, enforceable AI regulations—rooted in ethical principles but flexible enough for rapid innovation—will build trust and attract foreign investment.

Looking ahead, the next edition of the ILIA is slated for late 2026, with a promise to integrate carbon‑footprint metrics for AI workloads. If the region can translate the current surge of interest into sustainable policies, Latin America could become a global AI hub rather than a peripheral consumer.

Broader Regional Impact

Beyond economics, AI promises tangible social benefits. Projects like MIRAI are already improving health outcomes, while AI‑driven climate models are helping Andean nations predict extreme weather events with greater accuracy. In the private sector, SMEs are adopting low‑cost AI tools for inventory management, nudging informal economies toward formalisation.

Yet the upside will only materialise if the talent pipeline keeps pace. The ILIA warns that without decisive investment, the region risks a "technology lag" that could widen income inequality and stifle social mobility.