To boost employability and digital entrepreneurship in Central America, the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) and the Digital University of Artificial Intelligence (UDIA) have created an alliance that aims to bring multiple benefits to the region.
Thousands of young Central Americans will have the opportunity to receive free and certified training in artificial intelligence (AI) in a strategy to eliminate the gap in access to knowledge in this branch of technology that is advancing by leaps and bounds.
The initiative will enable program members to study 100% online and also receive training in process automation and advanced AI tools, thus boosting employability and improving opportunities for all involved.
In the region, Costa Rica is one of the countries that is leading the adoption of AI, expressing its intention to establish a National Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (LaNIA) specifically aimed at finding cross-sectoral solutions with AI support for national problems. Its objectives are to create an ecosystem, strengthen trust, and promote AI research and education.
Recently the World Bank approved financing for about $200 million dollars, a bet to transform education in Costa Rica, with the aim of reducing the digital divide, training students in different areas of technology where artificial intelligence is undoubtedly also a protagonist.
Promoting this type of technology is fundamental for the development of many of the countries in Central America, because it is a commitment to educate youth in an industry that has a greater economic projection in the short and medium term and where it is estimated that its global market value could exceed the barrier of $300,000 million dollars by 2026.
“Central America is a land of opportunities, of resilience, of entrepreneurial spirit. But above all, it is a region with an exciting youth that deserves access to the tools needed to build tomorrow,” said Anas Andaloussi, CEO of UDIA, in a statement.
According to a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Panama has also stated in interviews with the OECD that its government has already begun exploratory talks about a national approach to AI, although strategies are not yet formally planned.
“When we bet on digital education, when we bring technology to those who need it most, we are making real policy. Politics that tells a young person in Guatemala, in El Salvador, in Honduras, in Panama, in Nicaragua, in the Dominican Republic that their future is not determined by their limitations, but by the opportunities we offer them,” said Andaloussi.
McKinsey estimates that Generative AI could contribute between $20 billion and $30 billion annually to the Central American and Caribbean economy by 2030, impacting industries such as financial services, agriculture, among others, and bringing multiple opportunities to the region. However, it also presents specific challenges and risks that regional leaders will need to address, the report says.
The signing of the agreement, which was attended by deputies from the different benches and representatives of the six member countries [Dominican Republic is also a PARLACEN member nation], will have an initial term of three years with the possibility of extension, monitoring and evaluation to measure its impact on the training and labor development of the young beneficiaries.
“The agreement we signed between the Central American Parliament and UDIA is a commitment to this vision: to provide young Central Americans with the knowledge and skills in artificial intelligence that will allow them to be protagonists in the global digital transformation,” concluded Andaloussi.
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