Nexus 2023: AI Puts the Nearshore on the Brink of a Great Leap Forward

In the sound and fury that spurs from the conversations about the futures that could be enabled by AI, a thought stands out for its optimism about the technology: what if AI turns out to be the great equalizer at a global scale?

Such was one of the several ideas put forth during Nexus 2023, where an audience of tech entrepreneurs, market experts and Nearshore enthusiasts gathered to listen and to discuss the latest developments in the region and how it fits in the grander changes that are happening around it.

Nexus 2023 kicked off with the keynote speech of Richie Etwaru, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of spatial AI startup Mobeus. An entrepeneur that has been building the disruptive potential of AI himself, Richie made the case for the technology’s capabilities to push several developing countries forward in the global economic race, allowing them to compete in a more level landscape with nations which have historically been better positioned to take advantage of civilization-shifting technological developments.

“What’s unique about AI compared to the rest of technological inventions is that the entire world is starting from zero at the same time,” Richie pointed out during his keynote, in front of a packed audience at the W Hotel in Hoboken, New Jersey.

“Think about electricity. For South America, Europe had a 50 year jumpstart on electricity. The Internet? North America had a 20 year jumpstart when compared to South America. But for AI, we’re all in from day one, baby. That’s what’s different; it’s an equalizer,” he explained. “I think that, for this other markets that are starting from zero, at the same time as the US, Canada and Europe, there’s massive opportunity.”

Putting in the Work

Transformation won’t happen overnight for the Nearshore, though. The countries in the region will have to make some major changes in their political, economic and technological infrastructure if they want to make the big leap succesfully and on time.

“It is technologically equal, but productivity doesn’t change with just technology,” Richie pointed out. “There are three components to how societies change: productivity, government infrastructure and regulation, and there’s also culture. Those three have to move in tandem to get things right.”

Without the three components moving in unison, the results could damage any of the progress made in the adoption of AI, he added.

Latin America and the Caribbean have been –unwillingly– late to the party of several technological and business trends. Despite great efforts to catch up, both regions haven’t been able to shake off outer perceptions of inadequacy, slowness and, in the worst cases, backwardness.

The topic is a hot issue among regional entrepreneurs like Richie Etwaru. Hailing from Guyana, Richie is a solid proof of the existance of the entreprenurial spirit and disruptive talents in the Nearshore. Yet, he also recognizes the shortcomings that have historically blocked the region’s ambitions.

“Where the real challenge is for the Caribbean, South America and Central America is the lack of political and business infrastructure,” he commented.

As part of his keynote –and as further proof of his disruptive spirit–, Richie Etwaru gave a demonstration of Airglass, a spatial AI technology which he and his team at Mobeus expect will change how people interact remotely with each other. 

Airglass allows the manipulation and visualization of virtual spaces and elements in an immersive 3D without the use of special hardware or wearables. Airglass has been compared to technology seen in sci-fi fantasies such as the film Minority Report and the UI portrayed within Tony Stark’s mechanical suit in the Iron Man movie franchise.

Where are We Now?

Following the keynote and a fireside chat with Richie Etwaru, Nexus moved into a more focused conversation about the current state of generative AI (G-AI) in the market for Nearshore services.

Moderated by Peter Bell, Founder and CTO of CTO Connection, a group of four experts shared how their organizations have been dealing with the wave of hype around G-AI and the expecations their clients have for the technology’s potential.

 “People are saying that generative AI can do anything. That’s where they need to be a bit more careful. That’s the hype taking over the reality,” said Anand Rao, Global AI Lead  at PwC, during his opening remarks about the topic.

One of the toughest challenges faced by business –both in the vendor and buyside– is determining how to best use the yet unexplored capabilities of generative AI. 

“Now, with the recent announcement of ChatGPT, everyone is asking on what user cases they can apply the technology,” remarked Rafael Pérez, COO at NDS Cognitive Labs. “We tell them that they can do it, and that’s the thing that we’re facing right now: trying to determine in what.”

Over the past couple months, organizations have launched experiments or even whole labs dedicated to probe G-AI’s potential. This process of discovery and experimentation is crucial for business adaptability in the face of disruption, pointed out Rajeev Gupta, Country Head of Mexico for TCS and Chief of the firm’s Nearshore LATAM operations.

Relevant applications are slowly emerging in industries such as finance and marketing, Rajeev commented, adding that some of the strongest uses for the technology today can be found in how it uses data and other already available resources to provide insight.

Progess is also rearing its head in pharma, where some regulatory processes are being successfuly automated, commented Alan Campos, Head of Strategy and Global Business Transformation at Novartis. 

“I see and improvement of all stats of the software development life cycle,” he added.

Generative AI has been a source of much hype and concern in and out of the tech world. There’s no shortage of think pieces and commentaries on how a)it will revolutionize humanity’s productive and creative capabilities, or b) bring forth the inevitable demise of the whole species.

The bottom line is, nonetheless, that the technology remains in its initial phases of development for mainstream business. The world won’t know what G-AI is capable of until its products make it to market and have enough time to show their impact. 

For now, several Nearshore vendors are working overtime to advance their organizations in the AI race. If enough of them succeed, the benefits will potentially overflow and allow Latin America and the Caribbean to finally fulfill the still elusive promise of progress and development.