How Big Tech’s 'Invisible Hand' Reaches Latin American Regulators
“What should we, as members of Congress, be doing about artificial intelligence?” asks Diego Caicedo, a young Colombian congressman, in a video posted to his Instagram profile. Standing beside him is Pablo Nieto, another Colombian, who answers: “Create frameworks that promote AI” and “listen to all stakeholders.”
There was nothing casual about the exchange—not the setting, not the speakers, and certainly not what was said.
Both men are part of a broader web of influence through which Big Tech companies like Google, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft shape public policy in Latin America. Other players in this quiet, high-stakes game include lawmakers who echo tech-friendly arguments, well-paid lobbyists who push corporate narratives, and experts or former officials who frame private interests as matters of public good.
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