Mexico Launches First Fully Local AI Assistant: I’AM Chat

Mexico is introducing I’AM Chat, the country’s first conversational AI system created and operated entirely within national borders, marking a step toward technological sovereignty and expanded access to AI tools for the public and private sectors.

Raúl Manzano, CEO and Founder, IAMEX, the company behind the platform, says the project aims to provide locally developed digital infrastructure and broaden public access to AI tools. “Our objective from the start was clear: develop an AI made in Mexico, for Mexico, with international standards and local grounding,” he tells El Universal. 

The launch comes as companies and governments accelerate the integration of AI into operations, raising questions about data governance, privacy, and model reliability. Industry specialists say the rapid adoption of generative models creates both opportunity and risk. Manuel O’Brien, Leader of the AI and Emerging Technologies Committee, AMITI, explains that “your AI will only be as good as the data with which you train it,” noting that strong governance systems and oversight structures are essential as organizations deploy AI at scale.

I’AM Chat is part of a broader infrastructure project led by IAMEX, also responsible for the first national Generative AI platform developed and hosted entirely in Mexico. The company became the first in the country to operate servers using NVIDIA HGX B200 systems, expanding an installed capacity of 6MW with additional hardware under integration. Marcio Aguilar, Latin America’s Enterprise Division Director, NVDIA, says the collaboration supports the development of a sovereign technological base and reflects the strategic role AI plays in economic and scientific competitiveness.

I’AM Chat is designed to interpret and respond to Mexican linguistic, cultural, and institutional references, addressing a gap often seen when international systems are used in local environments. The tool supports tasks such as text generation, summarization, content analysis, idea development, computer vision, image creation, and online search. It also includes a free version that allows general users — students, professionals, and entrepreneurs — to access AI capabilities at no cost. Expanded tiers offer higher capacity and specialized tools for companies.

IAMEX built the system with a team of Mexican engineers specializing in data science and Python-based development. The platform was trained on Spanish-language data and is already operating in several sectors through pilot programs, including economic services, health, education, science, culture, industry, agriculture, and government. The company is also developing use cases for citizen services and security at state and federal levels. 

The company emphasizes that all data processed by I’AM systems remain stored and managed within Mexican territory, a feature aimed at strengthening national data protection practices. IAMEX is offering its technology through APIs so companies, startups, and government entities can integrate customized applications while retaining control over information flows and compliance structures. The company positions itself as an “AI Factory,” capable of developing and scaling localized AI solutions for diverse environments.

The launch occurs amid broader industry discussions on responsible AI development. O’Brien notes that as foundation models — large, multimodal systems built on transformer architectures — become the dominant paradigm, organizations must address risks related to bias, accountability, and explainability. By 2025, nearly 70% of global AI research centered on this type of model, according to AMITI.

Several high-profile failures have highlighted these risks. In 2020, an algorithm used for student grading in the United Kingdom drew protests due to systemic class bias, while the Gender Shades project exposed significant accuracy gaps in facial recognition systems for darker-skinned women. More recent concerns involve model veracity. A 2025 Newsguard Tech report found notable rates of false information in AI-generated outputs across multiple large language models.

These challenges have fueled global regulatory efforts. The European Union, for example, enforces rules under the GDPR and the AI Act, which classifies systems under risk tiers ranging from prohibited to minimal. O’Brien says the formalization of governance frameworks has become “a geopolitical discussion,” with financial institutions and international organizations involved in shaping standards.

For businesses, responsible deployment requires clear accountability structures, transparent data processes, and defined criteria explaining how outputs are generated. O’Brien argues that governance readiness is becoming both an ethical requirement and a competitive factor in enterprise adoption.

IAMEX plans additional releases, including an AI application for children with parental controls and a plug-and-play assistant for small and medium-sized enterprises to support productivity and process management. The company also expects to adapt its platform for use in other countries, tailoring models to local linguistic and cultural environments.

With I’AM Chat, Mexico introduces a domestically designed and operated AI system intended to support daily tasks, decision-making processes, and information management. Its developers say the initiative reflects an effort to expand access to advanced tools while building national capacity in AI infrastructure and data governance.