Striving Towards Maturity: Mexico’s Digital Landscape

Mexico finds itself at the crossroads of transformation, where the convergence of emerging technologies promises to reshape the nation's economic and technological trajectory. As Mexico strives toward digital maturity, it is essential to examine the trends that are set to propel or challenge the country's digital economy in the coming years.

"The digital landscape of Mexico is currently experiencing a significant transformation. As indicated by a recent survey conducted by MEXDEC, a noteworthy 96 million citizens have established internet connectivity. This vast online presence has unveiled a spectrum of diverse internet behaviors, spanning multiple generations," says Itzul Girón, VFounder and CEO, Knowsy.

According to the MEXDEC survey 42.7% of internet users in Mexico spend between seven and nine hours online, well above the global average of four hours. IThe survey shows a 45% increase in the development of financial and banking apps, allowing more unbanked people to access financial services. 

In the e-commerce industry,  32% of Mexican users prefer shopping at physical stores, and 17.5% are not convinced by the offers presented online. This suggests that data is not yet being effectively utilized to personalize offerings, highlighting a lack of interoperability and data architecture, suggests Girón.

Interoperability is key in any data strategy within an organization so that every part of the organization can gather, process, and use data to optimize operations. Because of this, the Mexican Internet Association and Knowsy propose the Identification Inter-Platform Standard (IDMX), an initiative designed to facilitate the accessibility of essential user data for corporations, enabling them to provide tailored products and services to their clients.

The next step in digital development in Mexico is the introduction of Mission Focused Cognitive Agents. These are AI-powered data processing models that are able to sift through data inputs to streamline decision-making in a specific area. Developers create a cognitive agent with the abilities of a highly specialized person and, with the input of cured data, they are able to suggest more efficient solutions. Nonetheless, to operationalize this endeavor effectively, a framework must be established to define the model's agency, its mission, dependencies, and regulatory oversight.

“The next step is multi-agent interoperable communication, where multiple cognitive agents are able to share information to further enhance the decision-making process for corporations,” says Girón. After that, in about five years, developers will be getting closer to General AI, which possesses the ability to understand, learn, and perform tasks in diverse domains.

If the integration of AI-enhanced tools like cognitive agents is successful, it could supercharge Mexico's GDP growth, potentially taking it from 2.4% to 6.4%.