AI Readiness and Governance in Latin America and the Caribbean: ILIA 2025

Published Date : 20/10/2025 

The third edition of the Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index (ILIA) evaluates AI readiness, adoption, and governance in 19 countries, highlighting significant disparities and key challenges. 

ILIA 2025 assesses Artificial Intelligence preparedness, adoption, and governance in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting progress while identifying gaps in talent, investment, and public policies.

On 3 October 2025, the third edition of the Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index (ILIA) was launched. The Index was prepared by the National Center for Artificial Intelligence of Chile (CENIA), in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and with the support of the EU–LAC Digital Alliance project.

From pioneers to explorers: The uneven landscape of AI adoption in the region

ILIA 2025 assesses the level of preparedness, adoption, and governance of artificial intelligence (AI) across 19 countries in the region. Based on more than 100 sub-indicators organized into three dimensions: enabling factors, research, development and adoption, and governance, the Index offers a comprehensive overview of progress, while highlighting persistent gaps in talent, investment, and public policy frameworks.

The results reveal significant disparities among countries, grouped into three categories of maturity: pioneers, adopters, and explorers. Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay stand out as pioneers, with scores exceeding 60 points and sustained regional leadership. Eight countries—including Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic—are classified as adopters showing steady progress and narrowing gaps through improvements in connectivity, human capital, and national strategies. In contrast, more than one-third of the countries remain explorers, characterized by nascent ecosystems and limited institutional capacities.

Strong AI adoption drives regional momentum, but investment and talent gaps remain

ILIA 2025 confirms that the region is outperforming expectations in AI adoption. Latin America and the Caribbean account for 14 per cent of global visits to AI solutions and rank third worldwide in downloads of generative-AI applications.

Usage is concentrated in consumer-ready tools with low technical requirements and high demand among micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). This pattern creates opportunities to democratize innovation and strengthen productivity, provided that favorable environments for entrepreneurship and technological transformation are developed. However, significant structural gaps persist. A shortage of advanced training and outmigration of specialists continue to widen the gap with the global average in human-capital capacities, reinforcing external dependence.

Investment also remains insufficient: although the region represents 6.6 per cent of global GDP, it attracts only 1.12 per cent of global AI investment.

In the area of governance, an increasing number of countries have adopted national AI strategies, yet most still lack adequate financing, implementation mechanisms, and evaluation systems. Furthermore, few policies incorporate gender or environmental perspectives, and regulatory approaches tend to focus on risk management rather than on building innovative ecosystems that promote productivity and social well-being.

ILIA launch event: Perspectives from senior officials and stakeholders

The launch event, co-organized by ECLAC and CENIA, brought together policymakers, researchers, academics, and private-sector representatives, to examine the main findings of ILIA and discuss their implications for the future of AI-driven development in Latin America and the Caribbean. During the event José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, highlighted the transformative potential of artificial intelligence for the region’s development:

“ILIA 2025 confirms that artificial intelligence can become a driving force to overcome the development traps faced by Latin America and the Caribbean. However, for this to happen, it is essential to link digitalization policies with productive-development policies, including the productive digitalization of priority sectors, to close gaps in infrastructure, talent, innovation and governance, while advancing regional cooperation that ensures the ethical, inclusive and responsible use of this technology.”

Claudia Gintersdorfer, Ambassador of the European Union to Chile and Representative to ECLAC, underscored the EU’s continued commitment to supporting AI development in the region:

“Artificial intelligence is consolidating its role as a driver of digital transformation, and that is why the European Union has supported the development of ILIA, now in its third edition. We believe this Index is not only a diagnostic tool but also a roadmap—a compass for the region to ensure that this transition is fair, inclusive and people-centered.”

In his remarks, Aldo Valle, Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation of Chile, reflected on the ethical and social dimensions of technological progress:

“Technology cannot be an end in itself; it must always serve human dignity and our relationships with one another. More than ever, we need to understand that artificial intelligence is not neutral—its impacts will depend on the political and social decisions we make. If allowed to develop without regulation, it will reproduce inequalities; but if guided by the common good, it can become a lever for sustainable development, greater social cohesion, political stability and a more integrated society.”

From a research perspective, Álvaro Soto, Director of the National Center for Artificial Intelligence, discussed the evolution of the Index and its growing analytical depth:

“In the first editions of ILIA, we focused on how prepared we were to face the disruption of AI, paying special attention to enabling factors. In this new edition, we move towards metrics that show how the AI landscape is actually evolving in the region and what its impacts are. For that reason, we incorporated studies on how AI is transforming the world of work. By producing annual reports, we move from a snapshot to a film depicting the evolution of AI in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Concluding the panel, Rodrigo Durán, Manager of CENIA, highlighted the importance of the Index for countries as a tool that provides a common information base to determine which AI strategies to implement, thereby advancing the promotion of responsible artificial intelligence that serves people. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What is ILIA 2025?

A: ILIA 2025 is the third edition of the Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index, which assesses the level of preparedness, adoption, and governance of artificial intelligence (AI) across 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Q: What are the three maturity categories of AI adoption in the region?

A: The three maturity categories of AI adoption in the region are pioneers, adopters, and explorers. Pioneers are countries with scores exceeding 60 points and sustained regional leadership, adopters show steady progress, and explorers have nascent ecosystems and limited institutional capacities.

Q: What are the main challenges identified by ILIA 2025?

A: The main challenges identified by ILIA 2025 include a shortage of advanced training, outmigration of specialists, insufficient investment, and gaps in public policy frameworks, particularly in governance, financing, and implementation mechanisms.

Q: How does the EU support AI development in the region?

A: The European Union supports AI development in the region through the EU–LAC Digital Alliance project, which has been instrumental in the development of the ILIA Index. The EU aims to ensure a fair, inclusive, and people-centered digital transition.

Q: What is the role of governance in AI development according to ILIA 2025?

A: According to ILIA 2025, governance is crucial in AI development. While many countries have adopted national AI strategies, most lack adequate financing, implementation mechanisms, and evaluation systems. Regulatory approaches often focus on risk management rather than building innovative ecosystems. 

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