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Brazil’s secret to becoming the first nation in Latin America with its own supersonic fighter is a number: 40

June 9, 2026 by usatoday24

In 1909, Canada celebrated the first powered flight of the history of the British Empire. The curious thing is that that plane, the silver dartwas considered Canadian, but had been designed by an international team, built largely in the United States, and then assembled in Nova Scotia. More than a century later, the aeronautical industry continues to operate in a very similar way. The “Brazilian” fighter. When Brazil presented the first Gripen assembled in Latin Americathe focus was on the historic milestone of becoming the first country in the region capable of assembling a modern supersonic fighter. However, the really interesting news appears when you look at what is behind that achievement. The secret is not that Brazil has created its own aircraft from scratch comparable to the large European or American programs, but in something much more complex and valuable: its capacity to progressively integrate in an international industrial chain and absorb technology until increasing national participation in the program is achieved. In other words, the real leap is not in building the entire plane, but in learning to build a significant part of it. The myth of the national fighter. Modern fighter jets are probably some of the most globalized industrial products on the planet. Although the Gripen It is presented as a Swedish plane, the reality is much more complex. The radar Raven ES-05 It is manufactured in the United Kingdom, F414 engine It comes from the United States, numerous electronic components arrive from different countries and part of the intellectual property belongs to foreign companies. In fact, different studies put the British and American share at such high percentages that, depending on how the calculations are made, Sweden alone represents only a part of the set. The Gripen is Swedish in terms of industrial leadership and design, but its manufacturing is deeply multinational. The magic number: 40. Within this international framework appears the data that explains the Brazilian strategy. Sources linked to the program indicate that the objective is for Brazilian national content to reach approximately 40% in the final deliveries of aircraft destined for the Brazilian Air Force. The figure should be interpreted with caution because there is no universal methodology to calculate these percentages and the analysts themselves warn which cannot be directly compared with the industrial quotas claimed by the United Kingdom or the United States. Even so, the data reflects something fundamental: Brazil has not limited itself to receiving aircraft assembled from Sweden. Its objective has been progressively increase the participation of Brazilian companies, engineers and technicians in the production process until the country becomes a relevant actor within the program. Embraer and the transfer of knowledge. The centerpiece of this strategy is Embraer. Thanks to agreement signed with SaabBrazilian engineers participated for years in development activities in Sweden and gained experience in areas that go far beyond simple assembly. The program includes systems integration, structure manufacturing, software development and knowledge related to the production of advanced fighters. The result is that the Gavião Peixoto facilities do not function as a mere assembly line where imported parts are assembled, but as a center where transferring industrial experience that did not exist before in Latin America. The strategic value of assembly. At first glance it might seem that assembling an aircraft designed by another country has limited value. However, the history of the aviation industry demonstrates exactly opposite. The ability to integrate complex systems, manage logistics chains, certify components and maintain advanced aircraft constitutes one of the most difficult steps to overcome. Brazil had already shown relevant capabilities with programs like Super Tucano or the KC-390but the Gripen introduces the country to a much more sophisticated technological ecosystem. Each assembled aircraft provides experience that can later be applied to future national or international developments. The Swedish fighter that is not entirely Swedish either. The paradox is that Gripen itself helps understand Brazil’s position. The plane is often presented as a Swedish national product, but the reality is that it depends from an extensive network international suppliers and technologies. The United Kingdom provides fundamental systems, the United States supplies the engine and numerous critical components, while other countries participate in different subsystems. There are even export restrictions stemming from British and American technologies integrated into the aircraft. In a way, Brazil is following the same model that the main aviation powers already use: no one makes just one modern fighter. More important than buying airplanes. The decision made by Brazil in 2014 during the FX-2 contest It is not explained solely by the Gripen’s capabilities compared to its rivals. The main attraction was Saab’s willingness to share technology and allow much deeper industrial participation than that offered by other proposals. That choice is beginning to yield visible results more than a decade later. Therefore, the first assembled Gripen on Brazilian soil symbolizes something more important than the arrival of a new fighter plane: it represents Brazil’s entry into the small group of countries capable of actively participating in the production of advanced supersonic fighters. And although much of the aircraft continues to arrive from Sweden and other international suppliers, the real story is in that 40%because that is where the knowledge that Brazil had been trying to acquire for years is found. Image | Embraer In Xataka | We tend to assume that the Wright brothers invented the airplane in the United States. In Brazil they believe they have evidence to the contrary In Xataka | A Brazilian has shown that having Internet in mid-flight is possible with Starlink. It has also shown that it is a real danger

be the first in Latin America to have its own supersonic combat aircraft

June 5, 2026 by usatoday24

In 1969, Brazil made a decision that many considered excessive for a developing country: create a state company called Embraer to manufacture their own aircraft. More than half a century later, that bet has given rise to third largest manufacturer aerospace industry in the world, only behind Boeing and Airbus, and already one of the most advanced aerospace industries outside of the traditional great powers. A milestone beyond defense. Brazil has celebrated the output of the production line first supersonic fighter assembled in its territory, an event that far transcends the military sphere. What is truly relevant is not only the arrival of a new aircraft to the ranks of the Brazilian Air Force, but the fact that a Latin American country has reached an industrial level which for decades seemed reserved for a very small group of powers. In a region accustomed to importing advanced combat systems, Brazil has managed to join to an extremely exclusive club in which the ability to manufacture supersonic aircraft is as important as ownership of the aircraft themselves. The road to the Brazilian Gripen. The Gripen program began with contract signed in 2014 between Brazil and the Swedish Saab for the acquisition of 36 aircraft, but from the beginning the objective went far beyond purchasing airplanes. The agreement included technology transfer, training of engineers and direct participation of Embraer in the manufacturing and assembly of the devices. A decade later, the result is visible in Gavião Peixoto, where the first Gripen E has left the factory built on Brazilian soil. Although the design remains Swedish, the process has allowed the development of industrial capabilities that did not previously exist in the country and that would hardly have been acquired through a simple purchase of foreign material. Enter the most difficult club in aeronautics. Building a commercial airplane is a complex task. Building a modern fighter aircraft is one of the industrial activities more demanding of the planet. In fact, only one small group of countries has the ability to design and manufacture supersonic fighters from scratch, including the United States, France, Russia, China and Sweden. Brazil is not yet part of that circle of independent designers, but it has achieved something that no other Latin American country had achieved: locally produce a fighter front-line capable of operating in the most advanced scenarios of modern aerial warfare. That difference may seem subtle on paper, but it represents a gigantic leap for the region’s technology industry. Much more than a plane. The Gripen also represents a bet for technological sovereignty. The ability to assemble, maintain and modernize devices within the country reduces external dependencies and strengthens the operational autonomy of the Brazilian armed forces. At the same time, the project has promoted the creation of specialized knowledgenew supply chains and an industrial base capable of participating in increasingly sophisticated aerospace programs. The same impulse is behind other Brazilian strategic projects, such as the transport plane KC-390 or naval programs developed with foreign technology but growing national participation. Aerospace power. The true meaning of this program It is not measured solely in the number of aircraft or military capabilities. It is measured in the position that Brazil is beginning to occupy within the global industrial map. While much of Latin America remains dependent on the export of raw materials or the import of advanced technology, Brazil is building an industry capable of participating in some of the most complex and profitable sectors in the world. The departure of first assembled Gripen in Brazilian territory symbolizes precisely that: the moment in which the country stops being only a buyer of defense technology to become one of its producers. There is no doubt, it may never arouse the same passion as a football World Cup, but for the industrial history of the region it will probably be an even more exceptional achievement. Image | Embraer In Xataka | We tend to assume that the Wright brothers invented the airplane in the United States. In Brazil they believe they have evidence to the contrary In Xataka | A Brazilian has shown that having Internet in mid-flight is possible with Starlink. It has also shown that it is a real danger

Mexico touches the sky with a new and elegant skyscraper of 484 meters and 99 floors. It will be the highest in all of Latin America

April 26, 2026 by usatoday24

For decades, it seemed that “the sky is the limit” applied to architecture was a maxim that only Asia and the Middle East reached. In fact, in recent times the world has witnessed a frantic race to see who has the biggest (skyscraper) between Dubai and Saudi Arabia. But there are some notable exceptions like the one that is about to premiere in Monterrey: the Tower Risea skyscraper that will not only be the tallest in the Central American country, but will also lead the skies of all of Latin America. If we open the range to the entire continent, it is only overshadowed by the mythical One World Trade Center in New York. The project. The Rise Tower is a mixed-use skyscraper that is being built in Monterrey (Nuevo León). It will have a height of 484 meters, of which 408 make up 96 residential floors and the remaining 76 make up the architectural spire that crowns the structure. More specifically, it will house residences, offices, a hotel, commerce and leisure facilities in a single structure, as is usual in skyscrapers of these characteristics, thus turning it into a city within a building. It will be located in the Obispado neighborhood, on Constitución Avenue in front of the Santa Catarina River, in one of the densest and most representative urban corridors of the city. The project is in charge by Nest and Ancore Group, has been designed by the Ancore architecture team and Mexican architect Esteban Ramos. Pozas Design Group and Next are responsible for its luxurious interior. Rise Tower layout diagram. Rise Why is it important. The Rise Tower will surpass the Torres Obispadowhich is also in Monterrey and is still the tallest skyscraper in the country. But once completed, it will officially be the tallest building in Latin America, a title that gives Mexico symbolic and technical leadership in the urban and architectural sector. Without going any further, it also moves the Great Santiago Tower in Chile. The building also positions Mexico in the world leagues of vertical architecture, a race dominated by Asia and the Middle East. For Mexico it is also a demonstration that the region can conceive, finance and execute projects at the scale of the world’s large urban centers and at the metropolitan scale, it can function as an engine for the repopulation of the urban center that favors investments in infrastructure. Context. Monterrey has been consolidating itself as the laboratory of vertical urbanism in Mexico for two decades. Without going any further, the construction of the Obispado Towers in 2020 had already surpassed the 300-meter barrier that defines it as “supertall.” The Rise Tower itself has been evolving since its first plans, when he aimed “only” 350 meters. The project is part of the trend of mixed-use supertalls that began to emerge in Asia and the Middle East since the 2000s and is now beginning to materialize in Latin America. Monterrey is in an area with wind and seismic activitywhich adds a layer of technical complexity to any potential design. In figures. Some numerical data of this stratospheric construction: 484 meters high: 408 habitable meters and 76 meters from the spire It will be the 13th tallest skyscraper in the world 35 levels of offices, 22 floors of apartments, 10 levels of luxury hotel 4,300 square meters of green areas and 8,000 square meters of leisure spaces. In detail. The tower has a rectilinear shape with a reinforced structural core and a perimeter framing system designed to withstand lateral loadssomething essential given that Monterrey is in a region where there is seismic activity and a lot of wind. The building envelope consists of a modular aluminum and glass curtain wall system, an aesthetically striking and effective combination for thermal control and management of dynamic wind pressures at high altitude. The concept of the façade is quite reminiscent of the architecture of mid-20th century skyscrapers. Points out The Civil Engineer The initial sketches suggested a more robust metallic aesthetic inspired by the historic Torre Latinoamericana in Mexico City (the grandfather of Mexican skyscrapers, built in 1956), but with the progress of construction, a greater presence of glass has become evident. In terms of sustainability, the project already has LEED Silver, Green Globes, Building EQ and Well certifications from the International Well Building Institute. For when? Construction began in 2023 and by March of this year the Rise Tower exceeded 306 meters and reached the 52nd floor, but there are still 170 meters left. The construction pace is high and in accordance with the governor’s statements from Nuevo León, Samuel García Sepúlveda, the inauguration is projected for the summer of 2026, before the FIFA World Cup. Nevertheless, other specialized sources They suggest that it will be delayed until the end of 2026 or even 2027. In Xataka | If the question is whether a skyscraper can be erased without demolishing it, Paris has the answer: yes, in exchange for a fortune In Xataka | Cancun has a huge bottleneck in its tourist area: Mexico is going to solve it with a megabridge Cover | Chorizowithegg and Rise Tower

If you live in Madrid or Barcelona, it is possible that a Latin American bookstore has opened next to your house

April 26, 2026 by usatoday24

The indomitableopened four months ago in the Madrid neighborhood of Prosperidad and directed by a Mexican. A few meters from Retiro Park, the now classic The Retreat of Lettersowned by two Colombians. In Arganzuela, the Argentine bookstore Mandolin It inaugurated its first Madrid branch a year ago. It is not an isolated or spontaneous phenomenon. It responds to an accumulation of demographic, editorial and economic factors that go beyond the folklore chronicle. From rookies to veterans. In this panorama, the most recent projects coexist with initiatives that have been established for a few years. The Mistral It opened in 2021 in the hall of the old Arenal Theater, two minutes from Puerta del Sol, by the Argentine Andrea Stefanoni, and was considered the most beautiful bookstore in the world by National Geographic that same year. His fame allowed him to organize a short story contest that received 150 manuscripts from different countries. Closer in time, in 2020, a couple of Venezuelans inaugurated The little beings also in Madrid, where they sell new and used books with special attention to Venezuelan and Latin American production. Olavidefounded by two Argentine journalists, combines book sales with cultural activities. AND Late Space It simultaneously functions as a bookstore, cafeteria and headquarters of Late, an Ibero-American network of narrative journalism founded as a cooperative by professionals from Colombia, Spain and Cuba. Repeating pattern. Although they are founded by Latin Americans, these bookstores do not operate exclusively with the diaspora as clientele. They are neighborhood bookstores in the most classic sense: children’s collection, independent labels and a personal relationship between bookseller and customer. They organize workshops and reading clubs. Sometimes they even serve cuisine from their places of origin. As a reflection of this phenomenon, the Madrid Book Fair of 2025 dedicated a table of its Meeting of Independent Ibero-American Bookstores to the phenomenon. The figures behind the phenomenon. The most recent breakdown by Latin American origin available, the analysis of the Elcano Royal Institute Based on INE data as of January 1, 2024, there were 4.25 million people born in Latin America residing in Spain (9% of the total population and 48% of all immigrants). The trend behind that figure has not slowed down: during 2024, the largest increases in the foreign population were once again concentrated in Colombians (+98,057), Venezuelans (+52,555) and Moroccans (+48,306), according to the INE. in December 2025. The accumulated result is that as of January 1, 2026, Spain has exceeded the 10 million inhabitants born abroad. A community of that magnitude, concentrated in large cities, generates cultural demand. But… why is this demand channeled towards the opening of own bookstores and not only towards consumption in establishments that already exist? The distribution obstacle. Part of the answer lies in how the transatlantic publishing market works. That Spain and Latin America share a language does not mean that they share a catalog: for example, El Retiro de las Letras imports directly from publishers in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina to make authors visible that do not reach Spain through conventional distribution channels. Combed Cana bookstore specialized in Latin American fiction with offices in Barcelona and Madrid, recognizes that half of its titles are not distributed in Spain and that These copies cannot be returned if they do not sell.. It is a risk of excess stock that large chains are not willing to assume. The bookstore Juan Rulfoproperty of the Economic Culture Fund of Spain, and the Ibero-American Bookstoreopen in Madrid’s Barrio de las Letras since 2004, have been covering that specialized niche for decades. To those establishments have been added in recent years dozens of projects promoted by immigrants that multiply the offer, from bookstores specialized 100% in Latin American narrative to hybrid spaces with a focus on culture. Relief in the sector. The context of the book sector in Spain is not immune to this phenomenon. There are 2,754 independent bookstores active in Spainand although it is a figure in permanent declinethe business going well in economic terms: In 2024, the Spanish publishing sector had a turnover of 3,037 million euros, 6.3% more than in 2023, in its eleventh consecutive year of growth and with the highest figure since 2008. How do you explain that establishments fall while turnover rises? 85% of closures are caused by the retirement of the bookseller. Latin American booksellers are occupying a space where replacements are scarce, in residential neighborhoods of large cities where the traditional bookstore has closed. The limits of the phenomenon. It is advisable not to exaggerate the scope of the phenomenon. A few dozen bookstores founded by Latin American immigrants in Madrid and Barcelona do not reconfigure the Spanish publishing ecosystem. Spanish book exports in 2024 reached 381 million euros, aimed mainly at Ibero-American countrieswhich indicates that the flow of books between Spain and Latin America continues to be mostly in the opposite direction. What these bookstores do represent is a symptom: that of an immigrant community with sufficient cultural roots to invest in a business with fair profitability and that demands a very high vocation. A sector where the main problem is that retirements are multiplying and where there is a Latin American catalog with four million potential readers who continue to need intermediaries willing to cross the Atlantic. In Xataka | The 24 most beautiful bookstores in the world

Mexico is about to finish one of the longest bridges in Latin America

March 25, 2026 by usatoday24

If you’ve been to Cancun, it’s very likely that you’ve been through the same thing: short trips that take much longer than expected, especially when it’s time cross towards the hotel zone. The city depends largely on a connection that, at peak times or in high season, becomes a bottleneck that is difficult to avoid. That is the problem that Mexican authorities have been trying to alleviate for years. Now, everything indicates that the answer is close to materializing with the Nichupté Vehicular Bridgean infrastructure that seeks to offer a direct alternative and significantly reduce travel times. The answer to this problem is not only a distant promise, but a work that is approaching its final phase. According to the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT), the Nichupté Vehicular Bridge is in his last works and the most recent official forecast places its opening towards the end of April. In this final section, the work focuses on verifying that the structure responds as expected, with load tests of up to 150 tons and vibration measurements using accelerographs. A new access to alleviate the Cancun bottleneck To understand the scope of the work, it is advisable to stop at its dimensions, which are not always clearly explained. The infrastructure adds 11.2 kilometers in total: 8.8 km correspond to the bridge over the lagoon and 2.4 km to the junctions at both ends. According to the SICT, this is the key difference between the complete work and the section that directly crosses the Nichupté lagoon system. Added to this are three traffic lanes, one of them reversible, as well as a 103-meter metal arch and a cycle path. Beyond its dimensions, the key is how it is integrated into the real mobility of the city. The new route will connect the Boulevard Luis Donaldo Colosio with the Kukulcan Boulevardtwo essential points to access the hotel zone, one of the main tourist and traffic hubs of Cancun. This connection, those responsible explain, would make it possible to reduce journeys that today can take up to an hour and a half to just about 10 minutes, an estimate that should be understood as the objective of the project. Furthermore, the infrastructure is planned as an alternative route in emergency situations, something especially relevant in an area exposed to natural phenomena. The scope of the work is also measured by who it aims to impact. According to data from the Government of Mexicothe bridge is designed to benefit more than 1.3 million inhabitants of the region, in addition to the more than 20 million tourists who visit Cancun every year. Regarding the expected traffic, the official figures have not been entirely uniform: in November 2025 the SICT spoke of an annual average daily traffic of 12,612 vehicles, while in January 2026 it raised that forecast to 20 thousand. Added to this is its impact during construction, with around 51 thousand direct and indirect jobs generated, according to the secretariat itself. But not everything is reduced to mobility and travel times. The passage of the bridge through the Nichupté lagoon system introduces a delicate variable, that of the impact on a sensitive ecological environment. The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation maintains that the project has been developed under 10 programs and 25 environmental subprograms focused on mitigating this effect. In that framework 306 hectares of mangrove have been restoredrehabilitated 118 hectares of seagrasses and relocated more than 2,100 specimens of fauna, in addition to rescuing native vegetation. Cancun has been living for years with an obvious limitation in its mobility, especially in access to its most touristic area, and that pressure has only grown over time. He Nichupté Vehicular Bridge It is proposed as one of the most ambitious responses to this problem, both due to its scale and the role it aspires to play in the day-to-day life of the city. With the work in its final phase and an opening scheduled for the end of April according to the most recent official communication, it will soon be possible to verify to what extent it meets the expectations that have accompanied the project since its conception. Images | Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation / SICT Quintana Roo Center In Xataka | China has already conquered the cargo ship industry: now it has begun to compete in the mega-cruise ship industry

Mexico is about to finish one of the longest bridges in Latin America

March 25, 2026 by usatoday24

Microsoft has a billion-dollar plan to end inequality in Latin America. And it is to expand AI, of course

February 20, 2026 by usatoday24

50 billion dollars. This figure that seems so impossible to contextualize is the amount of money that Microsoft is going to invest in what they have dubbed the ‘plan’Global South by 2030‘. And like almost everything that has to do with Microsoft for a few months now, it is focused on one thing: improving access to AI in the countries of the ‘Global South‘. In short. This week, during the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Microsoft president presented a plan to invest $50 billion by the end of the decade to improve access to artificial intelligence in developing countries and emerging markets. Brad Smith said they want to sustain the long-term growth of those countries as part of his company’s effort to address a problem they have detected: the growing digital divide between developed and developing nations. There may be many other gaps beyond access to AI, but Smith is convinced that what is urgent is to accelerate the adoption of AI in regions of India, Africa and Latin America. This ‘Global North’ and ‘Global South’ thing is not a geographical issue. It is an economic division The plan. The intention of Microsoft is “to make the dissemination of AI real and at scale, so that communities have what they need to access that tool, that they trust it and can apply it to local priorities.” The legs of that plan are: Empower schools and nonprofit organizations through technology and digital skills. Strengthen multilingual and multicultural artificial intelligence capabilities. Enable local AI innovations to meet community needs. Measure the spread of AI to guide future policies and investment. Let it be used more. With this, Microsoft hopes that AI will penetrate more into these territories because, according to an internal report on the spread of artificial intelligence, while 24.7% of the working-age population in the Global North uses generative AI tools, in the Global South only 14.1% use it. According to Smith, developing economies cannot miss out on those productivity advantages that come with AI. AI and hunger in Africa. But it is not the only thing that Microsoft has recently presented that seeks to position AI as a catalyst for change. With the ambitious title of ‘Stop malnutrition with AI’, the American company has presented a project to improve food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Starting in Kenya, the idea is that institutions have access to tools that offer information to predict and prevent food shortages and predict, with AI, the risks that this implies for health. If you are raising an eyebrow like “thank goodness we now have AI to give us the solution to a problem that we already know”, here at least there is no talk of Generative AIbut rather a model that collects all the data and reflects it on a map so that organizations have more detailed information. Data centers. These 50,000 million are added to other previous billion-dollar investments that Microsoft had already done in countries like BrazilIndia or South Africa, but there is something more than “digital empowerment”. The initiative includes building AI infrastructure, and that means one thing: building data centers. This infrastructure requires an immense amount of energy to satisfy the needs of the digital infrastructure, but they also need water and Mexico and South American countries are directly mentioned as home to some of the new data centers. Microsoft has been testing for some time more sustainable data center designsbut precisely in developing places, energy and water are resources that, perhaps, are not abundant. Images | Specialgst, Microsoft In Xataka | What is happening in the US is a warning for Spain: data centers driving up electricity bills in homes

Mexico has built a true Latin dubbing empire. And now it’s going to protect you from AI by law

February 19, 2026 by usatoday24

Mexico produces 65% of the dubbing in Latin America. And until now, no rule prevented an AI from copying the voice of its actors without paying or asking for permission. The government of Claudia Sheinbaum has presented this past February 13, 2026, an initiative to legally recognize the human voice as an artistic tool that cannot be cloned. If it prospers in CongressMexico would become something more than a government that looks after the interests of the actors: it would also be a world pioneer in regulation of voice cloning in a cultural setting. Korea is to blame. The trigger for this reaction was not a native series, but some korean dramas. In May 2024, social media users shared fragments of Korean Prime Video series (‘My Boy is Cupid’, ‘The Beat of My Heart’ and ‘Field to Love’) denouncing an unusual feature: the dubbing into Latin Spanish sounded mechanical, robotic and without nuances. And there was also something very suspicious: there were no credits for voice actors anywhere. Without giving explanations, Amazon removed those dubbed versions and did not confirm the origin of the voices. The straw that broke the camel’s back. It was a turning point: the voice actors guild had been denouncing for months how voice actors from all over the continent were losing jobs in favor of AI tools trained, in addition, with their own voices. Some actors, in fact, denounced the Kafkaesque situation that his voice was the one who had replaced him on a YouTube channel for which he worked. Point of no return. In March 2025, Prime Video announced its AI dubbing pilot program in English and Latin Spanish. According to Amazonare twelve series that would not have been dubbed if it had not been for AI, presenting it as an opportunity for series to be seen that would otherwise remain unpublished. The suspicion of Latin professionals, as we have seen, went in a diametrically opposite direction. To calm things down, Amazon assured that localization professionals would monitor and correct the dubbed episodes with AI. The protest. Mexico produces around 65% of the Latin Spanish dubbing destined for Latin America, according to data from the Mexican Association of Commercial Broadcasters (AMELOC), and has some thirty-five active studios with approximately 1,500 actors working. This human force was manifested last July in Mexico under the slogan “AI does not replace.” Among other requests, it was demanded that the voice be recognized as biometric data, at the level of a fingerprint. The purpose is to prevent its use without consent. The proposal. According to the specialized media CO/AISince the summer of 2025, the National Copyright Institute (INDAUTOR) and the Legal Department of the Presidency have worked with more than 128 organizations to build a legal framework always in touch with the union. The resulting text reforms two existing laws: the Federal Labor Law incorporates dubbing actors and announcers as formal workers in the cultural sector, equating them to singers; and the Federal Copyright Law recognizes the human voice as a “unique and unrepeatable” artistic tool That is, any use of it through AI requires express authorization from the owner, plus financial compensation. None of this prohibits dubbing with AI, it only protects the voices that train or replicate the model with mandatory contracts. Missing. The initiative must pass the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate before becoming law, and it will take a while: the Mexican Congress accumulates proposals since 2020. There are more than sixty initiatives related to AI that have not yet received the corresponding legal response. Of course, this one seems to go faster: in November 2025, the Congress of Mexico City had already approved a similar opinionwhich reformed five federal laws. Mexico, spearhead. This beginning of regulation in Mexico is an advance of what other countries are trying to regulate since 2023. For example, in 2024 in Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee signed the ELVIS Act to explicitly add voice among the attributes protected against unauthorized use with AI, something new in the US. The standard also holds responsible platforms that distribute tools whose main purpose is to generate voice replicas without authorization. California and New York have tried to regulate not the technology, but the contracts signed around these activities. However, the limitations of these laws were soon demonstrated: in July last year, a New York judge did not rule in favor of two voice actors who discovered that their voices had been marketed as AI products. As it had not been made with a fixed recording, but with attributes such as tone, timbre or cadence, the court dismissed the claims. That ruling is the type of thing that the new Mexican legislation will try to avoid, and provide more robust protection to artists. Header | Amin Asbaghipour in Unsplash

Latin America is the next step

February 4, 2026 by usatoday24

If you have ever been traveling and, upon arriving at your destination, you have wanted to book an excursion in Spanish, a skip-the-line entry or a transfer without complications, it is quite possible that you have come across Civitatis. The company, based in Spain and founded in 2008, has made a name for itself as an online platform for booking activities, guided tours and destination experiences designed for Spanish-speaking audiences. Now he wants to play another game: look beyond Europe and grow strongly in Latin America. Look beyond Europe. After years consolidating its presence in Europe, Civitatis is preparing for a change of scale in its international expansion, with Latin America as a priority. The company frames it as a strategic step and also as a positioning adjustment: in an informative meeting prior to Fiturits CEO, Andrew Spitzerdefended that the focus is not only on growth, but on truly integrating into the market. The goal, at least in his story, is for this growth to stop being peripheral and become central. three levers. From there, the plan is based on three pillars. The first has to do with the United States: the company highlights the proximity to that market and the weight of the Spanish-speaking population as an opportunity for organic growth. The second is Brazil, where the company plans to grow by 30% in 2026, an objective that involves expanding the catalog also in Portuguese to better adapt to the country. And the third is more structural: in Latin America the wholesale channel, supported by distribution agreements with travel agencies, has more weight than in Europe, where direct sales to the end customer predominate. Operating muscle. According to the data provided by the company, Civitatis already works with three regional centers in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, which function as a base to coordinate its activity on the continent. Together, these hubs concentrate 70 employees out of a total workforce of 360, according to the figures shared at the meeting prior to Fitur. The reading is clear: it is not just about selling in the region, but about building structure and teams on the ground to sustain growth. The app as an inflection. The other major axis of the plan for 2026 does not have to do with the map, but with the product. The company is preparing the launch of a new mobile application with which it aims to stop behaving as a purely transactional platform and become a travel companion. Europa Press adds that the app would be designed to centralize reservations, itineraries and complementary services under a space called My Trips, with access even offline. The idea of relying on artificial intelligence to promote greater personalization also appears in that roadmap. What exactly is Civitatis?. It is not a traditional tour operator, but a platform that connects travelers and local tour operators, acting as Online reservation channel for activities and visits at destination. Their proposal consists of bringing together this dispersed offer, presenting it in a digital catalog and managing the reservation from the same place, so that the user does not have to go supplier by supplier. This intermediation position also marks its limits and its opportunities: expansion does not depend only on opening the market, but on building a local catalog and making it accessible with the same product logic. Grow cautiously. The expansion into Latin America and the launch of the new application also have a business reading: Civitatis maintains that its roadmap is based on sustainable profitability. It should be noted that the company does not currently have an IPO among its priorities, despite being in the full acceleration phase. And El País places as a key piece the investment of Vitruvian Partners, with 100 million euros in 2022 and another 50 million in a second operation two years later. From here, the game consists of combining global ambition with measured growth, without losing the ability to adapt to each local market. Images | Laurentiu Morariu | Civitatis In Xataka | The “European Bizum” is on the verge of becoming a reality and there are two clear losers: Visa and Mastercard

OpenAI has taken its first step towards Latin America. Behind it there is an investment of 25,000 million in Argentina and many questions

October 14, 2025 by usatoday24

For almost any country in Latin America and the world, a company like OpenAI announcing a multi-million dollar investment sounds like a golden dream. It is not only the most influential company on the planet in artificial intelligence, but also one of the pacesetters in the industry. Its arrival promises jobs, economic movement and global visibility. But, as with any large-scale project, it also has doubts: energy consumption, water use or the sustainability of a data center of hundreds of megawatts are not minor issues. Argentina, at least on paper, has been chosen to attempt that leap. The announcement of the Argentine Government It is based, at least for now, on a single document: a letter of intent signed between OpenAI and the local company Sur Energy. The text, published on October 10, 2025, mentions an investment of “up to $25 billion” for a data center of “up to 500 megawatts,” under the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI). The location of the project is not specified nor are deadlines or construction phases detailed, which keeps it in a preliminary stage. The Argentine president met at the Casa Rosada with representatives of OpenAI last week Silences that weigh. There are details that attract attention. A multimillion-dollar announcement, linked to the expansion of OpenAI in the region, and yet neither its CEO nor the company itself have communicated it through their official channels. That they have not done so does not invalidate the project, but it does mark a distance with the institutional enthusiasm on the Argentine side. In this type of operations, communication is usually part of the message. Here, for the moment, it is conspicuous by its absence, at least on the side of the American startup on its website and social networks. The plan: AI factories at scale. Stargate is not an isolated project, but the name that OpenAI uses for its global infrastructure program. Its objective is to build a network of data centers capable of supporting cutting-edge artificial intelligence models, the technology that gives life to tools such as conversational chatbots or image generators. In the case of OpenAI, those models are the ones hidden behind products like ChatGPTbased on systems such as GPT-4 either GPT-5. The plan began to take shape months ago, when the company announced an ambitious infrastructure project in the United Stateslater expanding it to other countries. Interior of Stargate 1, the first large-scale data center developed under OpenAI’s own program Power, density, permissions. Data centers for artificial intelligence operate in another league. They concentrate massive training on GPUs with industrial-level consumption and an energy density much higher than that of a conventional data center. Each room requires advanced cooling systems capable of constantly keeping the temperature under control. And, although permits and licenses are required as in any facility of this type, its scale and technical requirements make building one of these projects a much more complex and lengthy process. {“videoId”:”x8jpy2b”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”What’s BEHIND AIs like CHATGPT, DALL-E or MIDJOURNEY? | ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE”, “tag”:”Webedia-prod”, “duration”:”1173″} RIGI and financing: promise vs contract. As we say, the project is covered by the Incentive Regime for Large Investments, a tool created by the Argentine Government to attract foreign capital through tax, customs and exchange advantages. In practice, the RIGI facilitates the conditions so that a large-scale project can be financed, but it does not guarantee that the investment will materialize. Patagonia sounds loud, it’s not official. On paper, there is no defined location. Neither the Argentine Government nor OpenAI have mentioned Patagonia in their statements. Even so, the name of the local company that appears in the letter of intent, Sur Energy, fuels the idea that the project could be developed in the south of the country. The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, with the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, in May 2024 Climate and design: allies or burden. If the southern hypothesis gains strength, it is also for a technical reason: the climate plays in its favor. Colder areas allow you to operate with less cooling energy and take advantage of outside air, something that reduces costs and emissions. In parallel, the availability of water continues to be a decisive factor. The new artificial intelligence campuses, aware of this risk, are adopting cooling systems that minimize the use of water resources. We will have to wait to know the option chosen by OpenAI. When the network or the water say no. The location of a data center does not depend only on the weather or tax incentives. Factors such as the electrical grid or the availability of water can mark the success or failure of a project. Mexico, for example, is one of the largest technology hubs in the region, but even there a Microsoft data center ran into the limitations of the national network. and had to resort to gas generators. In Chile, Google saw its plan blocked due to excessive water use. They are reminders that it is not enough to have space: you need infrastructure. In Xataka In the nineties, no one saw how the Internet would starve factories. Thirty years later, AI is doing the same thing From exclusivity to autonomy. For years, OpenAI’s infrastructure depended almost entirely on Microsoft. In 2019, the Redmond company invested 1 billion dollars and became your exclusive cloud partner. Over time, that alliance grew to exceed 10 billion, consolidating Azure as the platform where the company’s models were trained and executed. However, OpenAI has been seeking greater operational autonomy. The Stargate program responds precisely to that idea: having its own computing resources and diversifying its technological dependence. From paper to concrete. For now, it all depends on the next steps. For the initiative to move forward, a definitive contract between OpenAI and Sur Energy, the presentation of environmental studies and electrical interconnection licenses will be necessary. The financing scheme and long-term energy agreements will also have to be defined. Only with these pieces in place can we speak of a real work. Until then, … Read more

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