While Silicon Valley and Shenzhen often steal the AI spotlight, a quieter revolution is underway in Central America. Costa Rica is emerging as a regional leader in AI adoption among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) — and it’s not just a headline. It’s a blueprint.
According to data from Trycore, a Latin American hyper-automation firm, nearly 50% of Costa Rican SMEs are already integrating AI tools into their daily operations. These aren’t billion-dollar firms building LLMs — they’re retail shops, logistics providers, and customer support teams using AI to gain an edge in a hyper-competitive market.
But here’s the catch: Only 1% of SME leaders say they’ve “mastered” AI. That figure captures the heart of the Latin American AI story — high ambition, experimental adoption, and a long way to go on execution.
AI Adoption Is High, But Impact Is Still Untapped
The early traction is impressive, especially in areas like chatbots, supply chain management, and targeted marketing. But scale remains the challenge. Trycore’s research shows that 4 out of 5 high-impact automation opportunities are still ignored, mostly due to lack of know-how and internal resistance to redesign workflows.
The message? It’s not just about plugging in AI — it’s about rebuilding processes around it.
Skills, Not Just Software, Are the Bottleneck
The real barrier? Talent.
Professionals with deep learning and neural network skills in the region earn up to 25% more than peers, and demand for these roles has grown 3.5x faster than average since 2016, according to PwC.
While 69% of Costa Rican SMEs plan to keep investing in AI, most now realize that tools without training lead to half-baked results. Platforms like Heatmap are stepping in to help businesses identify where to prioritize upskilling — and where not to waste money.
From “Cutting Jobs” to Changing Them
The fear that AI will replace jobs is still alive in boardrooms. But in Costa Rica, a more pragmatic mindset is gaining traction. SMEs aren’t talking about layoffs — they’re redefining roles.
Service companies are using AI to personalize marketing, while manufacturers are applying predictive analytics to reduce waste. In other words, humans stay in the loop — but they’re doing different work.
A 2024 study on Ecuadorian SMEs shows similar trends: AI is widely used in marketing, but underutilized in logistics and finance — revealing untapped potential across the region.
Why Costa Rica?
Costa Rica’s edge isn’t size — it’s strategy and support.
The country benefits from:
- A relatively tech-savvy workforce
- Strong government backing
- Strategic partnerships with universities and innovation hubs
- Affordable, cloud-based AI tools that lower the entry barrier
But the advantage is not permanent. Without a coordinated push toward scaling use cases, closing skill gaps, and rebuilding workflows, early adoption could hit a wall.
The Bigger Picture
SMEs account for over 70% of Costa Rica’s workforce. Their success with AI is not just a tech story — it’s an economic one.
The challenge ahead is clear: move from experimentation to transformation. If Costa Rica can sustain its momentum, it won’t just lead Latin America — it could set the global standard for how small businesses harness AI without billion-dollar budgets.
And that’s the AI revolution no one’s talking about — yet.
