Nearly 40% of businesses in Mexico now using AI, says AWS executive

There has been a significant increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Mexico’s business sector over the last year, Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) General Manager, Rubén Mugártegui, said during the conference re:Invent in Las Vegas, Nevada, last week. 

Around 495,000 companies in Mexico have adopted AI over the last year, with 2 million businesses now using the technology, or around 38% of the country’s business sector, according to Mugártegui.  

While more companies are using AI, around 72% of these firms are only using it for basic services, such as writing, translation or light automation. 

A reported 88% of companies claimed the use of AI has increased productivity, as well as boosted revenue or profits by at least 16%. Meanwhile, 96% of organizations said they planned to increase their IT budget in 2026, with AI being the third-biggest investment area. 

AWS recently held an Impact Bootcamp in Mexico, hosting 50 Mexican entrepreneurs who received US $5,000 in AWS credits to further develop their projects, with many coming from underrepresented communities in Chiapas and Oaxaca.

However, around 55% of Mexican companies said that a lack of trained personnel is restricting them from using more complex AI models. 

To support workforce development, AWS will expand its partnership with Mexico’s Economy Ministry to provide 300 free courses in Spanish and train 500,000 people by 2028, said Mugártegui.

AWS recently celebrated a decade of work in Mexico and confirmed an investment of $5 billion in the development of its new cloud region in the country. The company is thought to contribute around $1 billion a year to Mexico’s GDP and create around 7,000 direct and indirect jobs.  

Pace of AI adoption in Latin America hindered by investment, skills

A November report from the United States cloud-based software firm Salesforce showed that the lack of investment, limited innovation and a significant skills gap in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina are limiting AI uptake. 

The findings are based on data from an “AI Upskilling Survey,” conducted with 14,231 adults in 13 global markets.

“The lack of investment, the slow adoption rate, and, crucially, the skills gap in the workforce are holding the region back,” according to Alejandro Anderlic, Salesforce’s Director of Government and External Affairs for the region. 

In Mexico, 45% of those surveyed acknowledged the negative impact of the lack of skilled AI workers. Meanwhile, around half of Latin American adults thought their governments were not doing enough to promote AI training. 

Salesforce announces investment of US $1B to accelerate AI adoption in Mexico

Salesforce’s Global AI Readiness Index evaluates 16 markets across 31 indicators in five dimensions. While the United States led the index with 39.7 out of 50 points, Mexico was awarded just 15.3 points. Meanwhile, Mexico scored 3.3 for AI adoption, compared to the global average of 5.8. 

To help boost AI adoption, in October, Salesforce announced an investment of $1 billion in Mexico over the next five years to expand operations, foster a digital transformation and accelerate the adoption of AI.  

With reports from Milenio, Bloomberg Linea and Infobae

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