Talent Shortage Could Hinder AI Implementation in LATAM

IBM's Global AI Adoption Index 2023 report shows that the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is gaining momentum in Latin America. However, this progress is hindered by a skills and expertise gap, making it difficult to fully capitalize on this technology. As a result, both companies and specialists point to the need for an educational overhaul in key domains such as AI, cybersecurity, and data analytics.

The IBM report, based on more than 2,300 interviews with IT professionals from global companies employing more than 1,000 people, reveals companies in LATAM have significantly accelerated the implementation of AI in their operations. In total, 67% of companies surveyed in Latin America reported that the adoption of artificial intelligence in their operations has been accelerating in the last two years, compared to the global average of 59%. In addition, approximately 45% of companies in Latin America indicated they are exploring Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) applications to automate and optimize their processes.

The study highlighted the most common exploratory or implemented uses of AI among companies in LATAM, which include: digital workforce (39%), IT process automation (36%), and marketing and sales (35%). On the other hand, some uses in early stages of adoption are: health diagnostics (8%), environmental risk analysis (10%), and sustainability (16%).

However, alongside this momentum, the study also points to an existing gap in skills and knowledge needed to take full advantage of AI's potential, with 32% of the companies surveyed claiming to be experiencing this issue. 

According to Manpowergroup's Talent Shortage 2024 study, in Mexico, 68% of employers face difficulties in finding specialized profiles in technology. This figure is aligned with perspectives provided in the study "Exploring AI as a Driver of Change in the Digital Frontier in Latin America", conducted by NTT Data and MIT Technology Review, where 79% of IT companies anticipated difficulties in filling vacancies related to AI by 2024. The rapid evolution of technology and the lack of adequate education are two of the main factors contributing to this talent shortage, according to the IBM study.

"Mexico needs to update its educational model to prepare new generations in areas such as AI, cybersecurity, data analytics, and machine learning," reads the IBM report. "This is crucial for the creation of more jobs and higher incomes in the country."

Lorenzo Muriel, OBS Business School Professor, underscores the need to train “new professionals in technological fields such as AI, robotics, immersive reality or green jobs, and also hybrid specialists such as experts in finance or law and artificial intelligence."