Region's Lag in Advanced Agent AI

«Advanced Agent Artificial Intelligence is not a technological project, it is a business model decision.» «Artificial intelligence is already available and generates value, but without a clear executive vision, without enterprise architecture, without governance, and without people trained to understand, adopt, and leverage it, organizations remain trapped in pilots that do not scale and do not transform the business,” he added. What is understood by Advanced Agent Artificial Intelligence? This finding, considered the first documented in the region, shows that organizations operate artificial intelligence at a tactical and experimental level, without yet making the leap to a structural use capable of profoundly transforming operational models, efficiency, and business competitiveness. The report also details that 68% of organizations lack specialized talent, 51% do not have a clear roadmap, and 59% invest only between 0% and 2% of their IT budget in artificial intelligence, levels insufficient to develop their own capabilities or compete with markets that are already integrating Advanced Agent AI in areas such as finance, operations, risk management, talent, and customer experience. This type of artificial intelligence already drives sustainable competitive advantages in more developed markets; however, it is not yet incorporated into a more strategic operation. The study focuses on the new generation of artificial intelligence that, in addition to analyzing or recommending actions, acts as an autonomous system, capable of orchestrating complete processes from end to end, executing tasks, making tactical decisions, articulating multiple AI models, and operating in an integrated way with corporate systems, under robust governance, security, and control schemes. That is the main conclusion of the “Business Transformation Study with Advanced Agent Artificial Intelligence 2025,” prepared by EY for the region. The report reveals that 49% of companies remain in an initial exploration phase; 31% executes isolated pilots and 0% has managed to integrate Advanced Agent Artificial Intelligence into the business's strategic processes. The report's objective is to open an urgent dialogue on the need to accelerate the strategic adoption of Advanced Agent Artificial Intelligence and to offer organizations a clear roadmap to close the competitive gap that the region faces today. Despite this structural lag, the study points out that 7 out of 10 companies already report concrete benefits when using external artificial intelligence solutions, mainly in operational efficiency and automation. Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic are entering the era of Advanced Agent Artificial Intelligence with fragmented progress, insufficient investments, and without a scaling model that allows them to compete on equal terms globally. «While other regions advance towards AI-enabled operational models that work in real time, our region continues to use AI in an isolated and disconnected way from the heart of the business.» «The challenge for the C-Suite is to move beyond experimentation and make structural decisions: invest strategically, define governance models, strengthen the technological architecture, and develop the necessary talent to operate with advanced artificial intelligence,” said José Sanchez, AI Adoption Strategist at EY. Organizations that do not integrate this capability transversally run the risk of operating with obsolete structures compared to competitors who are already making real-time decisions supported by AI,” affirmed Salamanca. «The difference between experimenting and competing is the ability to integrate AI into the organization's critical processes,” added Gomes. «The main risk facing the region is not technological, it is strategic and human,” affirmed Roberto Gomes, Partner Director of Consulting at EY Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. For his part, Juan Salamanca, Technology Consulting Partner at EY, emphasized that the adoption of this technology requires a profound change in the way business transformation is managed. However, these results remain limited by the lack of internal capabilities and own infrastructure that allows scaling these solutions sustainably.