Welcome from the host country’s authorities, the outgoing presidency of the Conference, and the Executive Secretariat of ECLAC. The statements highlight the core theme of the Conference: moving from connection to transformation, and capture value from AI—along with digital sovereignty—at the heart of the eLAC2028 agenda.

The session will examine how the AI value chain is reorganized on a global scale—from semiconductors and computing to models and applications—where the region is located in each link, and what critical dependencies it faces, in terms of supplier concentration, substitution possibilities, and critical functions. Based on this diagnosis, digital sovereignty will be discussed not as self-sufficiency, but as the ability to expand the margins of decision making and management of technology.

How digital government and digital public infrastructure—including digital identity, digital payments, secure data sharing, and interoperability—can transform the provision of public services, facilitate inclusion, open opportunities for the productive sector, and strengthen technological autonomy. The conversation will address the institutional, regulatory, and governance conditions needed to develop interoperable, secure, inclusive, and public value-oriented digital public infrastructures, as well as interoperability opportunities at the regional scale.

How the expansion of AI is transforming in-demand skills, tasks, and work organization. The session will address the region's digital talent gaps, the evolution of skills required by companies and productive sectors, and the challenges for education, technical training, and retraining systems. It will also discuss how to guide the adoption of AI towards trajectories that complement workers' capabilities, the role of social dialogue in this process, and strategies to train, attract, and retain advanced talent.

How to develop governance frameworks that allow us to take advantage of the benefits of AI and digital transformation, manage its risks, and strengthen confidence in its development and use. The discussion will address emerging regulatory approaches, risk assessment and management, transparency and explainability of algorithmic systems, audit and oversight mechanisms, and the security of AI systems. It will also discuss how to move from declarative governance to effective governance: the region has multiplied digital agendas and AI strategies, but many of them lack budgets, managers, evaluation mechanisms, and updating processes.