Business Calls for Action to Harness AI for Productivity and Competitiveness: OECD Latin America and the Caribbean Ministerial Summit

On 28 September 2026, Business at OECD had a strong presence at the OECD Latin America and the Caribbean Ministerial Summit in Montevideo, Uruguay with a delegation led by our Executive Board Member and SONAMI’s Alberto Salas. Business at OECD organised an official side event ahead of the Ministerial Summit on “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Productivity, Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean”. Bringing together senior representatives from governments, the private sector and the OECD, the discussion explored how Latin America and the Caribbean can accelerate business adoption of AI, create the right conditions for investment and innovation, help SMEs harness new technologies and equip workers with the skills required for an AI-driven economy. The session also marked the launch of the Spanish version of Business at OECD’s Business Perspectives on Advancing Artificial Intelligence.

Our Executive Board Member and SONAMI's Alberto Salas delivered opening remarks.

Our Executive Board Member and our Latin America and the Caribbean Contact Group Chair Fernando Treviño Nuñez delivered a video message.

The OECD's Director of the Development Centre, Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, delivered a keynote speech.

Left to right: The OECD's Audrey Plonk, Amazon Web Services (AWS)'s Santiago Orduz, Microsoft's Elianne Elbaum, and Uruguay XXI's Mariana Ferreira were part of panel 1.

Left to right: CAC's Ángel Machado, Dig.ia's Mercedes Aramendía, Dynapame's Ximena Cidrás Lenzuén, and CEIB's Narciso Casado Martín spoke on panel 2.

Left to right: On panel 3, Confederation of Buisness Chambers of Uruguay's Leonardo Loureiro, the OECD's Marta Encinas-Martin, CAF's Verónica Amarante, and the Office of Planning and Budget of Uruguay's Rodrigo Arim joined discussions.

The OECD's Head of the Latin America and Caribbean Division José Antonio Ardavin closed our event.

During the Ministerial Summit on 29 September, Business at OECD brought these messages directly into the discussions on AI, innovation, productivity and skills. Our dedicated Business Statement for the OECD Latin America and the Caribbean Ministerial Summit called for innovation-friendly and interoperable AI frameworks, stronger digital and AI infrastructure, and greater support for businesses (particularly SMEs) to adopt AI and develop the necessary skills. The statement also stressed the importance of open markets and of leveraging the OECD’s existing tools to support implementation across the region. Through our Latin America and the Caribbean Contact Group, Business at OECD will continue working with the OECD, governments, and businesses to translate the region’s growing AI adoption into stronger productivity, competitiveness, and inclusive growth.