Latin America has emerged as one of the global leaders in AI adoption in recent years, surpassing advanced economies like South Korea, Spain, and the U.S.
According to the 2024 Digital Consumer Insights report by Omidia, a global market researcher, Brazil is the Latin American country with the highest prevalence of AI users, at 76% of its population. Mexico comes in at a strong second place, with 70% of its population using tools like ChatGPT or Gemini, vastly surpassing the global average of 66% and the U.S.’s 52%.
Most notably, only 6% of those surveyed in Brazil and Mexico stated they had no interest in using AI.
Latin Americans’ use of the technology extends beyond the professional realm. Although 40% of respondents in Brazil admitted they mostly used AI to enhance their workflow or studies, Mexico’s case highlights a more personal approach: 33% noted they used AI for recommendations and search.
Other nations, like Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala have leveraged the technology later, as they have taken longer to adapt their educational, investment and infrastructure models to the demands that AI integration poses, according to Latin American Artificial Intelligence Index (ILIA).
As signaled by the Interamerican Association of Telecommunications Businesses (ASIET), the high rates of AI use in the region suggest that its population is not only tech-savvy, but also increasingly reliant on AI to improve decision making in both their personal and professional lives.
A user-agent communication gap remains, however. While Latin America is a collectivist society, AI systems tend to produce highly individualistic interactions, treating users as isolated units of consumption rather than socially-embedded actors.
The GLOBE Project, a research program that investigates the impact of culture on organizational practices, found that Latin America ranks high on In-Group Collectivism, but scores lowest on Institutional Collectivism. In this, individuals view themselves as part of their communities and cultures first, rather than of their governments.
Culture thus comes first for Latin Americans. With such a deep relationship between individuals and their identities comes how they communicate with each other- and with AI agents.
The region’s population tends to communicate at an emotional or spiritual level, often going further than the articulation of words and connecting by sharing information that transcends spoken language- including non-verbal queues like hugs and hand gestures.
“In a world obsessed with automation, Latin warmth reminds us what technology often forgets- that behind every screen is a story, behind every click a heartbeat,” says Ayaz Ahmadov, CEO and Founder at Dosty, a mobile app designed for pet parents to streamline pet care for dogs and cats.
When will AI be able to understand these complex communication methods?
Demand rooted in connection
Driven by rising urban pet ownership, income growth and health awareness, the Latin America AI pet care market accounted for $701.31 million USD in 2024 alone, and it is expected to reach $2 billion USD by 2035.
Globally, the pet industry is projected to reach $500 billion by 2030, as per Bloomberg.
Founded in Azerbaijan in 2022, Dosty was created to make tech-assisted pet care more comfortable and accessible around the world. “We all face the same challenges and joys,” Ahmadov told Contxto, referring to pet owners.
In just over a year since its launch, Dosty has supported over 23,000 pets across 73 countries, and launched an AI chatbot and community forums. The company’s Latin American expansion poses a revolution in pet care across the region, with tailored and community-driven experiences for the owners of over 183.8 million pets.
The founder has noted “a kind of magic” in how Latin American users make “even an app’s community chat feel like a family dinner.”
In this, an ethical dimension emerges in Latin American’s use of the app. From asking Dosty’s AI chatbot anything from “is it cruel if I leave my dog alone while I’m at work all day?,” and “is it bad that my cat refuses to drink water unless it’s from my glass?,” users reveal just how Latinos relate to their pets and wider environments.
“It’s funny, yes- but it’s also something deeper. It’s emotion. It’s presence. It’s that Latin ‘we feel before we think’ rhythm that turns technology into connection,” says Ahmadov.
In the community chat, however, users rely on others’ experience to find answers- as their collectivist values have taught them. “Has anyone’s cat ever ‘adopted’ a shoe as its favorite nap spot?,” and “do your dogs also act like detectives when you bring home groceries?,” are only some examples of how community-first values impact everything from socializing to pet ownership in the region.
“Sometimes in Latin America, even the algorithms learn to dance,” the founder added.
Sharing and caring
In having detected the increased need for human-rooted AI, Dosty is not alone. A November 2025 study found that 73% of global consumers avoid businesses that don’t show empathy because they don’t trust them. And, in the AI age, 71% of consumers believe the technology cannot forge genuine human connections.
AI should thus be built on community, according Ahmadov. Offering both tech-supported tools and community engagement is the way to go for startups seeking to create consumer-facing tools; technology answers the “what”, while community provides the “why” and the “me too.”
“Our devices are tools. We can decide how and when we use them. We can decide when we don’t. What makes us human, and what gives us joy and purpose on this Earth, is how we connect with one another and discover our common humanity,” the IE University found.
Scholars, in fact, have long argued that solidarity and human connectivity must transcend supporting features of the technology. A 2019 study, for instance, found that solidarity, feelings of unity and mutual support, must be embedded in the very development of AI systems.
Latin America is perhaps the best market to exemplify this impact. Its inherently human warmth, connectedness, humor and vibrancy challenge the artificial boundaries of AI. For success and scalability, AI companies must build on this cultural momentum.
“What we’ve uncovered […] has made it clear that combining AI chatbots with community engagement features can play an indelible role in creating a more effective product, a safer user experience, and a product pipeline for future developments,” said Ahmadov.
Featured image: Armen Poghosyan via Unsplash
Disclosure: This article mentions a client of an Espacio portfolio company.
