Copyright Barchart
This year, enterprises across the world have been in a race to harness the potential of AI. The latest McKinsey Global Survey, for instance, found that nearly nine out of ten organizations surveyed are already using AI regularly. Today, investors are already looking beyond the current AI boom and using their capital to back initiatives that align with long-term strategies that tackle technological, geopolitical and demographic challenges. Given this global context, Latin America provides a window into what this could look like in practice, offering an alternative route. For a start, AI companies in Latin America aren’t subject to the extreme valuations that we’ve seen in places like Silicon Valley. According to data from (JPM), AI has the potential to unlock a $100 billion opportunity for the region. Yet Latin America has only managed to capture $8.2 billion in investment from a global total of $190 billion allocated to private AI opportunities in 2025. The region also lags behind when it comes to public investment. A report from Chile's National Center for Artificial Intelligence (CENIA) and ECLAC found that the regional average is six times lower than the global one. Despite having less access to capital than its global counterparts, the region boasts some of the highest adoption rates. “Latin America is the third-largest market worldwide for generative AI application downloads," explained Antonia Moreno, Head of Research at CENIA. AI adoption in the region is emerging from the ground-up, in industries and use-cases where the potential for impact is greatest or demand is the most pressing. The Latin American Venture Capital Association indicated that 2026 will see a further wave of innovation in areas such as healthcare, manufacturing, financial services and renewable energy. Meanwhile, countries like Brazil are already setting an example, launching AI-powered clean energy initiatives and building national strategies to become AI hubs. As a result, Latin America could prove to be one of the most robust regions for AI, and less immune to market value variations seen in North America where capital is more abundant. For investors, here are the industries and companies to watch in 2026. AI Cements The Region's Role As The Nearshore Partner Of Choice Latin America has been steadily building its position as a trusted nearshore partner for AI and software development services. This is thanks to a robust and deep pool of tech talent, with Brazil and Mexico alone home to more than 2.2 million software engineering professionals. The region also has a unique selling point over other regions. The close alignment with North American time zones enables real-time collaboration between teams, ultimately leading to improved service delivery. As AI and data set the new competitive advantage for enterprises and multinationals, demand for the talent and resource of Latin America’s software engineers has reached new heights. For instance, in a move that underscored the region's importance in the global tech ecosystem, Ness Digital Engineering, a global digital services company owned by KKR, opened its new Mexico office in Guadalajara last month. This strong trajectory reflects both customer demand and the company’s intent to make Mexico a hub for Intelligent Engineering, where new software products and platforms will be conceived and built. Nisum is another example of a global firm that is placing bets on Latin American talent. With offices already established in Colombia and Peru, the enterprise has over a decade of growth. The region now plays an integral role for the business and its global delivery model. From these new offices, we should expect to see improved employment in the region and greater investments in adjacent industries, including in recruitment, HR, and commercial real estate. Publicly traded companies to watch include (MAN) and (ADEN.TO). A Sustainable Approach To AI Innovation Latin America boasts an abundance of natural resources, holding 60% of global terrestrial biodiversity and vast mineral resources. As climate concerns continue to mount, the region is turning a chapter on how to protect these invaluable ecosystems without sacrificing economic development. From sustainable agriculture to clean and efficient industrial processes, AI is helping to address both local and global challenges. However, as AI becomes more widespread, countries in Latin America will need to plan ahead to make sure that local grids have enough power to support digital initiatives. Brazil has emerged as a global reference for renewable energy, with about 80% to 85% of its electricity coming from renewable sources in a typical season. This is already far surpassing the worldwide average of around 28% for electricity generation. This means the power needed to fuel AI and its data centers can be offset thanks to renewables. Doing so will require cutting-edge software to get a clear and accurate picture of how much emissions are being generated by activities. Here, AI-powered software solutions like Credibl are being used to support enterprises and national sustainability legislation. These solutions will deliver high-impact results for the region as it continues to explore sustainable innovation, with ESG investment in Latin America expected to reach $4.5 billion by 2030. Publicly traded companies to watch here include (VWDRY) and (FSLR). Driving Clean Energy Use With AI AI combined with digital tools is helping to accelerate the solar energy transition across Latin America and the Caribbean. For example, Brazil and Chile are deploying AI-powered forecasting tools, digital twins, and advanced monitoring systems to optimize performance, reduce downtime, and balance grid operations. Brazil’s distributed generation boom has driven adoption of smart meters and cloud platforms for real-time energy management, while Chile is using AI to improve dispatch and solar irradiance forecasting. In rural areas, geospatial AI and satellite imagery help identify unelectrified communities and guide off-grid solar deployment. Further, tech enterprises like Planno offer organizations a way to tap into the power of GeoAI to find suitable and untapped locations for solar installations. For urban communities, the technology is helping to convert unused rooftops into a source of clean and reliable solar energy without taking up any additional land or space. Planno recently expanded to Portugal, Belgium and Switzerland, with plans for further expansion. With AI, solar developers can cut down the amount of time needed to find areas suitable for rooftop solar and focus on these zones to accelerate the pace of adoption and cut carbon emissions more quickly. Driving A Healthcare Revolution With AI When it comes to healthcare, AI has immense potential. Leaders and policymakers in Latin America have a particular interest in how AI could be used to bridge health disparities, particularly for underserved populations, by personalizing care, enhancing diagnostics, improving operational efficiency, boosting patient engagement, and expanding telemedicine. Cancer, in particular, is a significant problem in Latin America with a high burden. AI can support radiologists with screening and detection to catch more cases of cancer at an earlier stage. One noteworthy initiative can be found with Dasa’s AI laboratory for innovation in radiology. As one of Brazil’s largest healthcare companies, the potential for impact is significant. However, AI is bound by the data it's trained with and the parameters of the model. This underscores the importance of developing solutions that cater to the specific demographics and population health trends of the region. 360 Health Data is one enterprise looking to act as an ally for clinical care in Latin America with the launch of its platform, Coralia Health. By transforming medical knowledge and resources into Spanish through tech-powered automations, physicians in the region now have rapid access to up-to-date, reliable, and relevant information. How AI Can Support Schools And Teachers With Personalized Learning In classrooms with limited time, diverse learners, and scarce pedagogical resources, AI tools like chatbots can help personalize instruction, provide feedback, and free teachers to focus on what matters most. For Latin America, the technology has the potential to address the unique challenges of the region. A recent study titled Generative AI in Education: A Framework for Leveraging Digital Tools in Latin American Classrooms found that AI “can enhance teachers’ ability to address individual learning needs, especially in under-resourced classrooms where time and pedagogical support are limited.” A pilot program in Peru is also helping to demonstrate how AI Copilots can act as a teaching aid and develop personalized classroom materials. Launched by the education authorities of the Lima metropolitan area (DRELM) in partnership with the World Bank, the pilot spans over 200 public schools and 500 primary public school teachers in Peru. Outside of the public school system, AI is helping to address the specific learning needs of students in Latin America. Proficiency in English language is key to opening the door to diverse employment opportunities in the future, but private tutors are unaffordable for most families. Now, AI is changing this. Buddy.ai is the world’s first AI-based speech therapy tutor designed to help children learning English as a second-language. The chatbot provides 1:1 speaking practice that builds towards fluency for a fraction of the cost of a live tutor. Meanwhile, Alison, a leader in free certified learning for the workplace, launched a full copy of its award-winning global English platform with over 6,000 free courses in Spanish. This opens up the resource to students and professionals in Latin America. AI Innovation Powers New Wave Of PetTech Solutions In Latin America AI-powered pet care gadgets are transforming how busy owners care for their pets. Smart feeders automate meal schedules, ensuring pets are fed on time with the right portions. Interactive AI toys keep pets engaged while health-monitoring wearables track vital signs and detect potential issues early. Remote pet cameras allow owners to check in, talk, and even comfort their pets from anywhere. The integration of AI and IoT in pet devices is revolutionizing pet care across Latin America. The market is set to grow by 16% CAGR between 2025 to 2035 to reach a market valuation of $3.3 billion USD. The new generation of pet owners across the region are seeking tech-focused solutions to help with pet care and wellbeing. Dosty, for example, is an all-in-one pet care app designed to simplify pet parenting. It offers a variety of features like a symptom tracker, daily care reminders and access to expert advice tailored to the specific breed and real-time health condition of each pet. Other examples include CuidaMiMascota, a pet-setting app headquartered in Mexico, with plans to expand into Argentina, Colombia, and other Latin American countries, and Oliver Pets, a SaaS platform and marketplace designed for local pet stores in Latin America. AI Helps The Region Double Down On Fintech Innovation Neobanks and fintech apps have historically found great success in Latin America as a large percentage of citizens outside of traditional banking services tap into alternative solutions that allow them to spend, save, and access credit. Now, AI is poised to take this revolution further. By using AI, banks can move beyond simply reactive transaction processing and begin offering proactive financial services that are perfectly suited for the region's mobile-first consumers. AI enables Latin American banks to provide improvements such as personalization through data intelligence, real-time security addressing unique regional fraud patterns, and autonomous workflows designed for Latin American customer preferences. Among the unique solutions that cater to the needs of Latin American consumers is Midi Financial, a platform that gives both U.S. companies and Latin American remote workers access to U.S. banking, payments, and financial services. In this way, the company supports the rising number of remote workers in Latin America who support U.S. businesses either through direct contracts or nearshoring agencies. Traditionally, these remote workers were losing thousands of dollars each year to commissions, bad exchange rates, and outdated banking systems. Demand For Tailored AI Enterprise Solutions Continues To Grow Integrating AI into customer-facing applications like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot enables businesses to offer a hyper-personalized experience. In the corporate world, AI copilots combined with enterprise data are expected to set the new bar for competitive agility and intelligence. While this is a global trend, Latin America in particular boasts a wave of tailored co-pilots that address the unique market conditions of the region. For example, WhatsApp is a dominant force in the region, making it essential for business communications. Leadsales offers a specialized CRM platform that scales sales and communication seamlessly using the WhatsApp API. Its product, Leadbot, is Latin America's first no-code Chatbot. The tool automatically handles customer communication and can easily personalize the experience for every lead and customer. Yet the potential impact of AI for enterprises goes much further, for Latin America and across the globe. MyUser, an AI-driven B2B sales automation platform, and Prezent, an AI-powered business communication and presentation productivity platform, are two other companies to watch in 2026.
