What is Latam-GPT: Latin America’s AI Model in Spanish and Portuguese?
Introduction to Latam-GPT
Chile has introduced a groundbreaking project known as Latam-GPT, which aims to provide Latin America with its own artificial intelligence (AI) model. This initiative is designed to address the dominance of American companies in the AI sector and to reduce the biases that are often found in current systems. The project is being promoted by Chile’s National Centre for Artificial Intelligence (Cenia), a private corporation that receives public funding. It has also garnered support from various institutions across several countries in the region, including universities, foundations, libraries, governmental entities, and civil society organizations.
President’s Vision for the Future
During the presentation of the project on Television Nacional this week, Chilean President Gabriel Boric emphasized the importance of Latin America’s role in global technological development. He expressed enthusiasm about how Latam-GPT will allow the region to become an active participant in the economy of the future. The Chilean Minister of Science, Aldo Valle, added that the tool seeks to break down prejudices and prevent the representation of Latin America from becoming homogeneous. According to Valle, the region should not merely be a passive user or recipient of AI systems developed elsewhere, as this could lead to the loss of part of its traditions.
Understanding Latam-GPT
Despite its name, Latam-GPT is not an interactive chat system. Instead, it is a large database trained on information from the region, intended to serve as a foundation for the development of technological applications. The development of large AI models has traditionally been concentrated in the United States, China, and Europe. In addition to Latam-GPT, other regional initiatives have emerged, such as SEA-LION in Southeast Asia and UlizaLlama in Africa, each focusing on their unique cultural contexts.
Funding and Development
To train Latam-GPT, more than eight terabytes of information have been collected, equivalent to millions of books. The model has been created with funding of $550,000 (more than €460,000), mainly from the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), along with its own resources and agreements with other institutions. The first version of the system has been developed in the Amazon Web Services cloud. In the future, the model will be trained on a supercomputer to be installed at the University of Tarapacá, in northern Chile, during the first half of 2026, with an investment of close to five million dollars.
Regional Data and Representation
Alvaro Soto, director of Cenia, noted that models developed in other regions of the world include Latin American data in a reduced proportion. During the launch, President Boric highlighted this difference by comparing the extensive information available on the siege of Calais with the much more limited coverage of key battles of Chilean independence, such as the siege of Chillán. At this stage, the content of the model is mainly in Spanish and Portuguese, although the aim is to incorporate indigenous languages as well.
Academic Perspectives
However, academic Alejandro Barros of the University of Chile has warned that Latam-GPT has no chance of competing with the large global AI models due to differences in economic resources and infrastructure.
Potential Applications
Latam-GPT will be a free platform and could be used to develop tools adapted to local needs, such as digital solutions for hospitals with logistical problems or the use of medical resources, according to Soto. One of the first companies to use the model will be Chile’s Digevo, which will develop conversational robots specializing in customer service for airlines and retail companies. According to its director, Roberto Musso, these companies have shown interest in having users express themselves and receive answers in the local language. Musso stated that Latam-GPT can recognize slang, idioms, and even the speed of speech, reducing the problems of bias that can occur in other AI models.
