AI Insights
EU-LAC Digital Alliance: leading human-centric Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a powerful driver of progress as well as a challenge to our economies and societies. It all will depend on how we manage its development, deployment and use. Europe and LAC share a human-centric approach towards the use of AI, as to protect fundamental rights and manage the risks of its applications. Together they can deploy responsible and inclusive AI solutions, and steer global AI governance.
To that aim, the EU-LAC Digital Alliance has gathered again in the third session of the EU-LAC High-Level Policy Dialogue on AI and online platform governance from 1-3 July 2025, in Sao Paulo, Brazil to boost bi-regional cooperation on those topics.
The Policy Dialogue was organised by the EU and the Brazilian government, in collaboration with IRCAI (International Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence under the auspices of UNESCO), GIZ (German Development Agency), ECLAC (UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) and Nic.br (Brazilian Network Information Center).
The Dialogue was opened by Hugo Valadares Director of Science,Technology and Digital Innovation (MCTI) of Brazil and Jean-Pierre Bou, Chargés d’affaires ad interim of the EU Delegation to Brazil. Juha Heikkilä, Adviser for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the European AI Office, delivered a keynote speech about the EU AI Act and Europe’s plan to become a global leader on AI, an AI Continent.
The meeting was also the occasion to present the Hamburg Declaration on Responsible Use of AI for the SDGs. Slovenia and Brazil endorsed the Declaration during the Dialogue and call on LAC countries to support it.
Based on the takeaways from previous Policy Dialogues, the discussions focused on advancing concrete joint initiatives in High Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructures, Large Language Models (LLMs) and data protection for AI. Part of the programme was also dedicated to exchange approaches and best practices regarding online platform governance.
EU-LAC HPC Network
The starting point for AI research and innovation is having sufficient High Performance Computing (HPC) capacity. The EU is in a strong position with a total of ten supercomputers across Europe. In LAC, Brazil holds the most with eight supercomputers in the Top500 list. Mexico also has a strong presence, and Argentina recently joined the list. Overall, the region’s HPC landscape is growing, with a mix of countries contributing to the overall capacity.
The EU & LAC seek to create a bi-regional High Performance Computing Network, with an initial budget of €3 million. The meeting in Sao Paulo has served to push this initiative forward.
The ground is fertile thanks to the high-speed, transatlantic BELLA cable connecting Europe and LAC, and onward to most LAC countries through its terrestrial extensions. Managed by the EU-LAC Digital Alliance in collaboration with RedClara, this EU Global Gateway flagship has facilitated the development of a HPC testbed that provides a secure and controlled environment for LAC researchers to perform complex simulations, big data analysis and testing of advanced processing models.
LLMs for Latin America & the Caribbean
The Dialogue included in the programme a visit to the Centre of AI and Machine Learning at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) to explore more about Large Language Models (LLMs), with a particular focus on the LATAM GPT – a LLM made in LAC, for LAC – and the role LLMs can play in preserving indigenous languages.
Latam-GPT is a collaborative effort, initiated by Chile’s Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation (MinCiencia) and the National Artificial Intelligence Center (CENIA), but with significant contributions from over 30 institutions and more than 60 AI experts across various LAC countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, and some international partners.
The model is trained with vast amounts of regional data, including linguistic and cultural diversity, historical events, and social realities of the region. The objective is to offer more accurate and culturally relevant responses compared to existing models and reduce inherent biases and foster a more equitable and inclusive AI landscape for the region.
Latam-GPT demonstrates the firm determination of LAC countries to build technological sovereignty and to deploy tailored solutions for critical regional challenges. The EU seeks exactly the same and is willing to be the predictable and reliable partner that the LAC region needs to leverage the transformative power of responsible and inclusive AI. Together EU and LAC can lead AI global development and governance.
AI governance for competitiveness and innovation
At the regional level, Latin American and Caribbean countries emphasised the need for greater complementarity and coordination among multilateral organisations working to advance AI in the region. They called for stronger integration of regional agendas, such as the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, UNESCO-CAF’s Montevideo Declaration, and ECLAC’s eLAC 2026 agenda. As a concrete example of regional collaboration, Costa Rica’s Vice Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Orlando Vega presented the OECD Toolkit for AI in Emerging Economies, a regional initiative supported by the EU and other donors at the centre of GPAI aimed at guiding responsible AI development in emerging countries.
At the national level, the discussion focused on the development of AI strategies and legislative proposals in countries such as Brazil and Chile, highlighting their ongoing efforts to regulate AI as an exercise of national technological sovereignty.
Finally, with the participation of the President and Director of Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD), Waldemar Gonçalves, and Uruguay’s and Spain’s data protection authorities (URCDP, AEPD), the dialogue addressed the role of data protection authorities in the oversight of AI systems that process personal data to safeguard citizens’ privacy in the age of AI.
Digital Alliance and EU International Digital Strategy
The Policy Dialogue in Sao Paulo builds on the EU-LAC Digital Alliance roadmap for bi-regional cooperation moving forward with concrete steps for a joint regional agenda ahead of the CELAC-EU Summit, taking place in Santa Marta, Colombia, on 9-10 November 2025.
The recently announced EU International Digital Strategy is based on deepening and expanding partnerships to boost economic competitiveness through technological sovereignty. The EU-LAC Digital Alliance is an action-oriented cooperation model that delivers on the objectives of this Strategy and can inspire partnerships with other regions.
As part of the Global Gateway Investment Agenda, participants of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance days in Colombia in November 2023 agreed that collaboration between both regions on digital matters can enhance their strategic autonomy and economic growth.
Participating countries issued a Joint Declaration in the context of the EU-CELAC Summit in July 2023, where they committed to regular bi-regional dialogue and cooperation on digital matters for the benefit of their citizens.
Global Gateway
Global Gateway is the EU’s positive offer to reduce the worldwide investment disparity and boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems.
The Global Gateway strategy embodies a Team Europe approach that brings together the European Union, EU Member States and European development finance institutions. Together, we aim to mobilise up to €300 billion in public and private investments from 2021 to 2027 and create essential links rather than dependencies and close the global investment gap.
Background
The EU-LAC High-Level Policy Dialogue on AI and online platform governance in Sao Paulo, Brazil, gathered about 115 participants from 31 countries, including:
- 21 countries from LAC: Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Republic of Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay
- (One overseas territories: Sint Maarten (pending))
- 12 EU member states: Malta, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, France and Portugal (all Embassies or Consulates, except for Spain, France and Portugal)
- Five regional organisations: Andean Community, CTU, SICA, ECLAC, OECS
- One international organisation: UN
- Academia: LNCC,CIAAM-USP, IBM Research Brazil Laboratory, Universidade do Minho, European University Institute, INESC TEC, Red Clara, SCALAC
- 4 CSOs: Abong, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Access Now, IRIS
- Private Sector: Ericsson
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Equipped with a starter robot hardware kit and cutting-edge lessons in artificial intelligence, students in CS 123: A Hands-On Introduction to Building AI-Enabled Robots are mastering the full spectrum of robotics – from motor control to machine learning. Now in its third year, the course has students build and enhance an adorable quadruped robot, Pupper, programming it to walk, navigate, respond to human commands, and perform a specialized task that they showcase in their final presentations.
The course, which evolved from an independent study project led by Stanford’s robotics club, is now taught by Karen Liu, professor of computer science in the School of Engineering, in addition to Jie Tan from Google DeepMind and Stuart Bowers from Apple and Hands-On Robotics. Throughout the 10-week course, students delve into core robotics concepts, such as movement and motor control, while connecting them to advanced AI topics.
“We believe that the best way to help and inspire students to become robotics experts is to have them build a robot from scratch,” Liu said. “That’s why we use this specific quadruped design. It’s the perfect introductory platform for beginners to dive into robotics, yet powerful enough to support the development of cutting-edge AI algorithms.”
What makes the course especially approachable is its low barrier to entry – students need only basic programming skills to get started. From there, the students build up the knowledge and confidence to tackle complex robotics and AI challenges.
Robot creation goes mainstream
Pupper evolved from Doggo, built by the Stanford Student Robotics club to offer people a way to create and design a four-legged robot on a budget. When the team saw the cute quadruped’s potential to make robotics both approachable and fun, they pitched the idea to Bowers, hoping to turn their passion project into a hands-on course for future roboticists.
“We wanted students who were still early enough in their education to explore and experience what we felt like the future of AI robotics was going to be,” Bowers said.
This current version of Pupper is more powerful and refined than its predecessors. It’s also irresistibly adorable and easier than ever for students to build and interact with.
“We’ve come a long way in making the hardware better and more capable,” said Ankush Kundan Dhawan, one of the first students to take the Pupper course in the fall of 2021 before becoming its head teaching assistant. “What really stuck with me was the passion that instructors had to help students get hands-on with real robots. That kind of dedication is very powerful.”
Code come to life
Building a Pupper from a starter hardware kit blends different types of engineering, including electrical work, hardware construction, coding, and machine learning. Some students even produced custom parts for their final Pupper projects. The course pairs weekly lectures with hands-on labs. Lab titles like Wiggle Your Big Toe and Do What I Say keep things playful while building real skills.
CS 123 students ready to show off their Pupper’s tricks. | Harry Gregory
Over the initial five weeks, students are taught the basics of robotics, including how motors work and how robots can move. In the next phase of the course, students add a layer of sophistication with AI. Using neural networks to improve how the robot walks, sees, and responds to the environment, they get a glimpse of state-of-the-art robotics in action. Many students also use AI in other ways for their final projects.
“We want them to actually train a neural network and control it,” Bowers said. “We want to see this code come to life.”
By the end of the quarter this spring, students were ready for their capstone project, called the “Dog and Pony Show,” where guests from NVIDIA and Google were present. Six teams had Pupper perform creative tasks – including navigating a maze and fighting a (pretend) fire with a water pick – surrounded by the best minds in the industry.
“At this point, students know all the essential foundations – locomotion, computer vision, language – and they can start combining them and developing state-of-the-art physical intelligence on Pupper,” Liu said.
“This course gives them an overview of all the key pieces,” said Tan. “By the end of the quarter, the Pupper that each student team builds and programs from scratch mirrors the technology used by cutting-edge research labs and industry teams today.”
All ready for the robotics boom
The instructors believe the field of AI robotics is still gaining momentum, and they’ve made sure the course stays current by integrating new lessons and technology advances nearly every quarter.
This Pupper was mounted with a small water jet to put out a pretend fire. | Harry Gregory
Students have responded to the course with resounding enthusiasm and the instructors expect interest in robotics – at Stanford and in general – will continue to grow. They hope to be able to expand the course, and that the community they’ve fostered through CS 123 can contribute to this engaging and important discipline.
“The hope is that many CS 123 students will be inspired to become future innovators and leaders in this exciting, ever-changing field,” said Tan.
“We strongly believe that now is the time to make the integration of AI and robotics accessible to more students,” Bowers said. “And that effort starts here at Stanford and we hope to see it grow beyond campus, too.”
Chief financial officers are recognizing the need to upskill their workforce to ensure their teams can effectively harness artificial intelligence (AI).
The Velvet Sundown, a four-person band, or so it seems, has garnered a lot of attention on Spotify. It started posting music on the platform in early June and has since released two full albums with a few more singles and another album coming soon. Naturally, listeners started to accuse the band of being an AI-generated project, which as it now turns out, is true.
The band or music project called The Velvet Sundown has over a million monthly listeners on Spotify. That’s an impressive debut considering their first album called “Floating on Echoes” hit the music streaming platform on June 4. Then, on June 19, their second album called “Dust and Silence” was added to the library. Next week, July 14, will mark the release of the third album called “Paper Sun Rebellion.” Since their debut, listeners have accused the band of being an AI-generated project and now, the owners of the project have updated the Spotify bio and called it a “synthetic music project guided by human creative direction, and composed, voiced, and visualized with the support of artificial intelligence.”
It goes on to state that this project challenges the boundaries of “authorship, identity, and the future of music itself in the age of AI.” The owners claim that the characters, stories, music, voices, and lyrics are “original creations generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools,” but it is unclear to what extent AI was involved in the development process.
The band art shows four individuals suggesting they are owners of the project, but the images are likely AI-generated as well. Interestingly, Andrew Frelon (pseudonym) claimed to be the owner of the AI band initially, but then confirmed that was untrue and that he pretended to run their Twitter because he wanted to insert an “extra layer of weird into this story,” of this AI band.
As it stands now, The Velvet Sundown’s music is available on Spotify with the new album releasing next week. Now, whether this unveiling causes a spike or a decline in monthly listeners, remains to be seen.
I have always been passionate about gaming and technology, which drove me towards pursuing a career in the tech writing industry. I have spent over 7 years in the tech space and about a decade in content writing. I hope to continue to use this passion and generate informative, entertaining, and accurate content for readers.
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