Geneva, Switzerland
The United States, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are listed in this order countries that are better prepared for new technologies and emerging countries such as artificial intelligence (AI) or big data, according to an index presented by the United Nations on Thursday, where Latin America, with Brazil and Chile at the top, takes discrete positions, while Honduras and other Central American countries in the tail with regard to technological advancements
The Brazilian is ranked 41st in a classification of 158 economies developed by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), where Chile occupies the 49th position, Mexico 57th, Costa Rica 61st, Argentina 65th and Panama 67th, the best placed Latin American countries.
At the bottom of the region are Nicaragua (125th place in the global index), Honduras (122nd), Bolivia (116th) and El Salvador (106th), while Colombia ranks 78th, Peru 89th and Venezuela 99th.
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Firstly, economies like South Korea (seventh place), Germany (ninth), France (13th), Japan (18th) or Spain (21) stand out, while China and India, despite leading in research and development , ranked 25 and 43, respectively, due to telecommunications shortcomings.
The classification was made by measuring five variables: research and development in new technologies, state of the local telecommunications industry, training for new sectors, financing facilities therein, and general deployment of these industries in the country.
The index is part of a report in which the Unctad analyzed not only the future of AI and the management of large databases, but also sectors such as the internet of things, blockchain, 5G networks, 3D printing, robotics, drones, gene editing. , nanotechnology and photovoltaic energy.
Unctad estimates that in 2018 these industries formed a $ 350,000 million market that could multiply nearly $ 10 to $ 3.2 trillion by the middle of this decade (of which 1.5 trillion in the Internet of Things and 500,000 million in robotics).
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The organization aims to underline with its research that new technologies are widening the economic divide between developed and developing countries, as has happened since successive industrial revolutions over 250 years have periodically changed the fundamentals of the economy.
“It is essential that developing countries do not lose the wave of advanced technologies or the inequalities will worsen,” summarized UNCTAD Secretary-General Isabelle Durant, presenting the report, asking companies and companies to improve themselves. prepare to bridge the gap.
The report also highlights that in addition to the huge opportunities in these burgeoning sectors, there are also major challenges, such as the risk of automation taking over large-scale jobs while reducing labor rights.
The study highlights that governments play a vital role in paving the way for technologies, especially in creating a supportive environment and “ensuring that the benefits of these technologies are shared by all”.