Latin American perspective: challenges, gaps, and opportunities

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a decisive factor in the reconfiguration of education across Latin America, where technological innovation coexists with deep social, cultural, and economic asymmetries. Its implementation represents both an opportunity for inclusive and adaptive learning and a risk of reinforcing digital colonialism and inequality. Within this complex panorama, AI is analyzed as a phenomenon that extends beyond technology, encompassing ethical, pedagogical, and political dimensions linked to regional sovereignty and cognitive justice. The discussion highlights the need to construct a “Latin American educational intelligence” based on collective knowledge, public digital infrastructure, and equitable access to data and innovation. Drawing on comparative experiences from Uruguay, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile, the analysis reveals how educational systems navigate the tensions between automation and autonomy, efficiency and equity. Ultimately, the text advocates for a redefinition of AI as a public good—one that is governed, developed, and taught through local cultural and ethical frameworks to promote a human-centered and cooperative technological future.