At the event, which opened on Thursday, attendees debated three thematic axes of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Enabling Ecosystems, Education, and Governance.

During the opening day, president of Colombia Gustavo Petro highlighted the need for Latin America and the Caribbean to “come together to build on AI”. He explained the importance of appointing teams of experts to study the issue and its implications in Latin American societies; Petro raised the urgency of building alternatives to what could be dangerous in the interrelation between the climate crisis and AI.

In turn, Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Gilberto Murillo considered that Latin American nations need to agree and have a single voice in technological matters. “Therefore, I invite you to deepen our relationship as a united region, to create policies to make good.”

Murillo also estimated that the issue must be addressed from an ethical and moral perspective, “that does not deepen inequalities, but rather allows us to eliminate discrimination.”

According to the Minister of Information and Communications Technologies, Mauricio Lizcano, AI is expected to contribute up to 5.4 percent of the Gross Domestic Product of Latin America and the Caribbean. “I firmly believe that with the adoption and responsible and democratized development of AI, we can begin to close gaps, promote equity and regional inclusion, protect the natural capital that is our biodiversity and clean energy capabilities,” he stated.

It is expected that at the closure of the Summit, the representatives of the 19 countries present will sign the Cartagena Declaration, establishing a common position as a region, on how to work towards the democratization of AI.

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