Latin America must address ‘uneven’ AI adoption across region

Latin American universities are engaging with artificial intelligence, but adoption of the technology is “neither uniform nor evenly distributed” across the sector, a report by Unesco has found.

The findings, based on a study of 200 higher education institutions across 19 countries, reveal that just over a quarter (26 per cent) have any kind of formal framework on the rapidly maturing technology, even though an overwhelming majority (87 per cent) of institutions report using AI in at least one area of their activities.

The report, AI Implementation in Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, calls for stronger governance and greater investment in “digital literacy” in the region.

Its authors describe the study as the “most comprehensive regional picture to date” of how AI is “reshaping” higher education across Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to the findings, the technology is used most widely in teaching and learning. Some 74 per cent of institutions reported using it to assist with tasks such as planning lessons and grading assessments. More than half (57 per cent) said they employed it in research, with administrative and community engagement less commonly cited.

Uptake of the technology is highest among private non-profit universities, the report found, with 84 per cent implementing it, compared with 68 per cent of public institutions and 52 per cent of private for-profit institutions.

This is significant because public universities in many countries in the region “carry broader social mandates”, the report points out, “serving larger student populations, higher shares of students from lower-income backgrounds, and [carrying] a greater responsibility for the democratisation of higher education as a public good”.

Among universities implementing AI in teaching, 90 per cent report using tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini. According to the report, this suggests that “generative AI has become the default entry point for AI adoption in teaching and learning across the region, likely driven by the free or low-cost availability of these tools and their ease of use without the need for significant institutional infrastructure”.

When it comes to how institutions educate staff about AI use, the report outlines another discrepancy between kinds of providers.

Among public universities using AI in teaching, 17 per cent have no academic staff training, almost six times the rate of private non-profit universities (3 per cent).

The report advises universities to develop formal AI strategies outlining ethics, accountability and monitoring policies “from the outset”. It urges them to establish AI offices that incorporate student representatives and encourages them to produce graduates who can join the working world with a robust understanding of the technology.

Policymakers, meanwhile, must ensure that institutions do not fall behind by establishing “dedicated public funding mechanisms” for AI governance in higher education. The survey reveals that 55 per cent of universities have no specific AI budget and that public universities have the lowest rate of dedicated AI funding – just 4 per cent.

In a foreword to the report, Unesco’s Borhene Chakroun writes: “Maximising benefits [of AI] rests on sustained investments in access and capacity and strengthened digital literacy and governance frameworks that ensure ethical use, transparency and accountability while keeping educational purposes at the forefront.”

georgia.luckhurst@timeshighereducation.com