Selected ECLAC Publications on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development
ECLAC Publications on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development
Research resources on artificial intelligence and digital government in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Publication date: 2025
One of the outcomes of a 2023 subregional workshop on the measurement of the digital society to advance digital inclusion was a draft list of subregional priorities and indicators. As discussions on the list are set to continue, these areas and indicators warrant a closer examination, with the support of relevant data. This study seeks to contribute to the advancement of the discussions by providing an analysis of the current availability of data for the proposed priorities and associated indicators. The analysis is supplemented by information provided by Caribbean experts working with ICT policymaking and regulation regarding the strengths and weaknesses of their systems for measurement of ICT indicators, their related capacity-building needs, and their priorities for measurement. Finally, the study outlines some possible approaches to continuing the work of defining and refining the indicators in the future.
Publication date: 2025
The aim of this study is to consolidate the many sources of information on AI in the Caribbean, providing policymakers, academics and decision makers in the Caribbean AI space with a general overview of the AI landscape in the Caribbean, while making initial recommendations and suggesting areas for future research. Given the pace at which the field of AI is developing, and how quickly AI tools have become generally available to the public, data and research on the impacts of AI and AI readiness are limited. This study is therefore not comprehensive in its assessment. As a desk study, the research material used is limited to online sources and what the authors have been able to gather from collaborators across the world. As such, there may be gaps that originate in the source material. This study will occasionally note where such gaps exist and may identify related areas for future research. It is expected that this would also serve as valuable information for policymakers, academic researchers and others seeking to navigate or further explore the Caribbean AI landscape.
Publication date: 2024
The overall objective of the expert group meeting was to review the findings of the draft study entitled “Caribbean artificial intelligence readiness: an exploratory review”, by presenting an overview of the study and its methodology and inviting feedback from experts, including Caribbean policymakers and regulators.
Publication date: December 2024
As AI remains a matter of pressing importance to the subregion, ECLAC Caribbean has continued to explore this topic with a view to supporting Caribbean governments’ efforts at ensuring effective governance of this phenomenon. This issue of FOCUS magazine will explore dimensions of the Caribbean’s AI past, present and future...As AI governance is becoming more important, so are countries and others seeking to measure the impact of AI and their efforts to govern it. The Global Index on Responsible Artificial Intelligence (GIRAI), which is a multidimensional tool, seeks to measure the extent to which actors in the national AI ecosystem respect and protect all human rights and uphold ethical AI principles. - Diane Quarless
Publication date: December 2023
2023 saw Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools becoming widely available to the general public, leading to the generation of new works of art, songs, text, and computer code. This explosion in new outputs has led to much excitement around AI’s potential, but also brought to the forefront concerns about countries and communities being left behind, and the technology’s potential to harm individuals and societies. This issue of FOCUS magazine discusses the potential impact of AI on the Caribbean, and avenues to develop tailored AI policies, governance systems, and to engage with AI issues at the international level. - Diane Quarless
Publication date: 2022
The rapid advance of digital technologies and their increasingly cross-cutting applications have driven global transformations that are affecting the entire economy and all of society. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic marked a turning point in terms of how widely digital solutions are used, as they became vital tools for maintaining social and productive activities under the restrictions on face-to-face activities and movement put in place during the health emergency. Today, digitalization is seen as a key instrument for the transition to a new, more inclusive and sustainable development model. However, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean still face a series of structural challenges that prevent effective adoption of digital technologies. Progress towards an inclusive and sustainable digital transformation requires a number of measures and actions, which are addressed in this document.
Publication date: 2022
Science, innovation, knowledge and digital technologies have played a fundamental role in the growth potential, social inclusion and environmental sustainability of countries in recent decades, and have become even more important in the context of the crisis caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. While Latin American and Caribbean countries have adopted various measures — many of them based on access to technology — to tackle the effects of the pandemic, the region’s structural challenges have become more pronounced, and the need for more comprehensive, complex, participatory and capable innovations systems more evident. This document identifies the areas where efforts should be focused to make progress towards new, more inclusive and sustainable development strategies in which science, technology and innovation are key players for a transformative recovery.
Last updated: 17 July 2025
