Executive summary. In Latin America, AI adoption is outpacing AI returns: only 23% of the region's organizations capture measurable economic value from generative AI; in fact, six in ten SMEs capture none. [1] That distance, the value gap, does not close by buying more tools, but by embedding AI into the system where the business actually runs: the ERP. For Mexican SMEs, with their pronounced preference for open-source software, an open ERP like Odoo is the shortest bridge between "we're testing AI" and "AI delivered a return."
The adoption mirage
Almost every 2025-2026 report repeats the same headline: AI is growing across the region. The Latin American artificial intelligence market went from roughly USD 29.5 billion in 2025 to a projected USD 40.5 billion in 2026. [2] The enthusiasm is real, and so is the money.
The problem appears when you measure results. According to Latin America in the Intelligent Age, the report by the World Economic Forum together with McKinsey, only 23% of the region's organizations generate measurable economic value with generative AI; in fact, six in ten SMEs capture none. [1] In other words: capturing value from AI is still the exception, not the rule.
The gap is not about technology. It is about integration: isolated AI dazzles in a demo, but it does not move the business indicators.
