How companies are integrating AI in Latin America: virtual assistants, data analytics and more

Intelligence is a reality in businesses. While adoption continues to grow, the reality is that many companies are adopting this technology to improve internal production and offer new options to customers. This was proven by an IBM survey, which found that in the last two years, companies in Latin America have accelerated the use of this technology by 67%.

In a study where more than 8 million IT professionals from companies around the world were consulted, They found that in our region, there is a greater acceleration in the adoption of AI in the labor sector. This places Latin America as a place of projection in this sector.

“Traditional artificial intelligence such as deep learning and machine learning are used to great effect. What we’ve seen is a lot of experimentation with generative AI, great integration between IT and business teams, and a focus on areas like operations, automation, and customer care. Even so, there will be a lack of knowledge and planning,” Tonny Martins, general manager of technology for IBM Latinoamérica, told Infobae.

The aspects that contribute most to this adoption are digital work (39%), IT process automation (36%) and marketing and sales (35%). Additionally, 37% of the region uses generative AI in their jobs.

In addition to these numbers, there are real examples of the implementation of artificial intelligence within the processes and products offered by companies in Latin America, since the use of this technology is present in various sectors and not only if it is meant as a form of processing improvement, but also as a solution to customer problems.

For example, in Chile, AFP Capital, a securities and pension fund company, It uses artificial intelligence through a virtual assistant that is powered by the IBM Watsonx platform. This chatbot is able to analyze the entire regulatory language and generate simple real-time responses that the user understands.

This made it possible to reduce consultation resolution times by 30%, thanks to the fact that it was integrated into the company’s various communication channels and received the approval of 90% of customers.

Another case that is most focused on manufacturing work is that of Aeromexico. The company is implementing a strategy to monitor, anticipate, plan and respond to the potential impacts of extreme climate events in its aviation operations.

You can use this information to increase security measures and improve operational efficiency. The AI-powered technology enables the airline to perform climate risk analysis and meteorological information for more than 100 routes it operates in Mexico and around the world.

Finally, in Brazil, the solution is implemented with hardware developed by IBM to improve the capacity processes of new employees who were trained in a short period of time.

This project also allows workers to have a say in the information they receive, allowing AI models to adapt to their needs. By implementing this technology, the company increased its cloud services by 174% in the third quarter of the previous year.

With all this growth in mind, the study also reflected that there are still various barriers in the region that prevent better acceleration and adoption.

According to the above, the biggest problem for companies is skills, experience and knowledge of this technology (32%). For this reason, 38% of companies in the region plan to reverse this problem and develop the skills of their employees in the next 32 months.

Another important aspect is the ethical and responsible handling of user and customer data. 90% of respondents in Latin America ensure that consumers are more likely to choose the services of a company that is transparent and has an ethical label that monitors data management and use.

“Many people do not understand that artificial intelligence is not an engine, it is a whole car, and therefore requires organized and structured work to process data. So we’ve helped our customers order their internal data, maintain the structural foundations and help them connect as information comes from many sources and in many formats,” said Martins.