There is something paradoxical about the relationship between the ICT sector and artificial intelligence: the companies that build, distribute, and operate AI tools are the first ones that must reinvent themselves.

As highlighted by CINTEL, the Research and Development Center for Information and Communications Technologies, the conversation is no longer about whether to adopt AI, but rather about how to integrate it structurally and sustainably into operations and decision-making. Moving from offering software to offering intelligence, from managing projects to managing data-driven decisions. Competitive advantage will not lie in access to technology, but in the ability to align it with business strategy.

Latin America Consumes AI, but Still Does Not Produce or Finance It

The urgency is real. According to the Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index (ILIA 2025) by ECLAC, Latin America already accounts for 14% of global visits to AI solutions, exceeding its share of internet users. However, the region represents 6.6% of global GDP and only 1.12% of global investment in AI. The regional average is six times below the global benchmark. The region consumes AI; it still does not produce or finance it at the level its economy would require.

Colombia: Talent, Leadership, and Internal Maturity Are the Real Bottlenecks 

In Colombia, the internal gap is just as evident. CINTEL’s study, “AI: The Readiness Gap,” reveals that although 45% of companies intend to adopt new technologies, only 32% are actively using AI. The obstacle is not access to tools; it is the lack of talent, leadership, and internal maturity needed to integrate them effectively.

There is an additional factor that ICT companies cannot ignore: a client acquiring an AI solution today is not only assessing whether it works; they are evaluating whether they can trust how decisions are made and who will be accountable when something goes wrong. ICT companies that have clear answers to these questions will win contracts; those that do not will lose conversations before even reaching the proposal stage.

The opportunity is open now. ICT companies that build strong AI capabilities—not only those that use it, but those that understand it, govern it, and integrate it with sound judgment—will not simply be following a trend. They will be defining it.

And that is precisely the conversation that ANDICOM 2026, Latin America’s leading technology and artificial intelligence congress, seeks to promote. Under the theme “Unleashing the Power of AI,” the congress will bring together leaders from the digital ecosystem to explore how to unlock the true power of AI across industries and societies.

Are you already part of this conversation?