Latin America and the Caribbean are facing a learning crisis: more than half of elementary school students in developing countries struggle to understand what they read, and over 70% lack basic math skills.
Inside classrooms, artificial intelligence (AI) is already being used, but it has become a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can serve as a tool to accelerate learning through teacher support and personalized instruction. On the other, the technology exposes inequalities within educational systems, leaving already marginalized students even further behind.
To address this challenge, UNESCO’s Regional Office in Santiago, Chile, and Tecnológico de Monterrey signed a collaboration agreement to create the Regional Observatory on Artificial Intelligence in Education for Latin America and the Caribbean. The platform aims to maximize the benefits and reduce the risks associated with the use of this technology in the education sector.
Jorge Azzario, international executive director of the Vice Presidency of Learning for the Future (VPAF), says the initiative emerged from a shared effort to reflect on the region’s needs in relation to Sustainable Development Goal 4, which focuses on promoting quality education.
“For us, that goal aligns especially well, first, with the role we play as a university and, second, because it broadens the concept of lifelong learning so that education — which we believe can achieve anything — reaches everyone equally,” Azzario says.
Actions Built Around Four Pillars
As part of its strategy, the observatory will support ministries and departments of education through initiatives based on four key pillars:
Evidence Generation
Through surveys, public policy analysis, and comparative studies, the observatory will assess how AI is being used in classrooms and measure its impact on education. The initiative will produce reports highlighting the level of technology adoption in order to identify gaps and help guide decision-making.
Pilot Programs
Field trials will be used to evaluate the integration of AI in real-world settings, providing insight into levels of innovation, inclusion, and scalable solutions across the region for greater impact, while adapting to the specific realities and challenges of each country.
Capacity Building
“One of the observatory’s first ambitions is to reach just over 250,000 teachers out of the millions working in primary education across Latin America and the Caribbean.” The goal is to design public policies and training programs that help educators develop the skills needed to work with AI.
Collaboration and Knowledge Transfer
The observatory will seek to collaborate with university networks, governments, and key stakeholders in the education sector to share knowledge, experiences, and best practices related to AI use. The aim is to ensure that the findings do not remain isolated efforts, but instead help expand the impact of actions and programs while strengthening connections across the regional ecosystem.
What the Evidence Will Reveal About the State of AI Across 33 Countries
Regarding the evidence being generated, the director says one of the observatory’s main areas of focus is understanding how and why AI is being used in teaching and learning processes. This ranges from operational uses, such as automating administrative tasks, to the use of tools designed to measure the impact of teaching practices.
“There are several promises this technology offers: one is giving teachers more time to interact directly with students. Another is bringing knowledge about AI and ethics to people and exploring how artificial intelligence can enable more personalized learning.”
The observatory aims to produce rigorous evidence on the state of AI in education across 33 countries in the region, Azzario says. In doing so, ministries of education will be able to make informed decisions about programs and public policies that seek to integrate this technology.
For example, in Chile, a study involving more than 2,000 teachers was conducted to assess the level of AI knowledge and classroom use. The study will help identify which tools teachers are using and how prepared schools are to adopt these technologies.
The Quintuple Helix: Leaving No One Behind
UNESCO will contribute its capacity for international coordination, while Tecnológico de Monterrey will primarily provide its expertise in teacher training through educational programs and learning platforms.
Alongside the Vice Presidency for Learning for the Future (VPAF), which focuses on technology, digital platforms, implementation, and teacher training, the School of Social Sciences and Government (ECSG) and the Institute for the Future of Education (IFE) will also collaborate. Their role will be to help transform the evidence generated by the observatory into recommendations and solutions for educational systems.
In addition, as part of the agreement, Tec will contribute $90,000 to UNESCO to support the initiative.
The Regional Observatory on Artificial Intelligence in Education for Latin America and the Caribbean also includes participation from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society, and the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence, among other institutions.
“When you are facing an opportunity — and at the same time a challenge — of this magnitude, you cannot leave anyone out. Here, you can see the elements of a quintuple helix model represented: academia, government, industry, civil society, and sustainability. We want to build a virtuous helix that keeps turning continuously and truly generates prosperity.”
Education: A Sector That Has Changed Little Technologically
Alejandro Hernández, partner relations manager at Tec Digital Academy within the VPAF, says the observatory’s mission goes beyond integrating AI into classrooms — it also seeks to drive broader digital transformation.
“Education is one of the sectors that has changed the least in terms of technology. That’s why we aim to influence different levels of digital transformation: from the cultural adoption of artificial intelligence in teaching and within education ministry strategies, to processes and data-driven decision-making.”
During its first year of operation, the observatory will organize working groups to define impact measurement and models. It will produce a diagnostic assessment and report on each country’s progress in the use of AI in education, including minimum skill levels, classroom applications, and regulatory frameworks. Based on the initial assessment, pilot programs will be designed and launched in Chile and Mexico, with plans to eventually expand to other countries such as El Salvador.
Jorge Azzario says one of the observatory’s goals is to improve learning outcomes for at least one million students across the region.
“What appealed to us from the very beginning is how closely this aligns with our vision of inspiring millions of people to become lifelong learners. This initiative could be an incredibly powerful seed for making that happen from an early age,” he concludes.
Did you find this story interesting? Would you like to publish it? Contact our content editor to learn more: marianaleonm@tec.mx
