A UNESCO study of 200 higher education institutions across 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries found that 87% already use AI in some capacity, yet only 26% have a formal AI strategy in place. The report, launched during Digital Learning Week 2026 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, exposes a wide gap between grassroots adoption and the institutional rules meant to govern it.
The UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO IESALC) conducted the survey with support from the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). Teaching and learning emerged as the most common application, with 74% of institutions reporting AI use there. Research followed at 57%, where respondents cited data analysis and efforts to improve research quality.
Governance has not kept pace. Beyond the 26% with a formal AI strategy, the study identified shortfalls in policies, dedicated governance structures, monitoring, and evaluation. Adoption is frequently driven by individual academics, researchers, and students rather than by institution-wide planning.
The public-private split
The study documented a resource divide between public and private institutions. Private universities generally have more capacity for strategic planning, training, and governance. Public institutions face tighter resource constraints, which affects their ability to move beyond ad hoc AI use toward structured oversight.
This split matters for equitable access. Without intervention, students and faculty at public institutions risk falling behind peers at better-resourced private counterparts - not just in using AI tools, but in understanding the privacy, bias, and academic integrity questions those tools raise.
What UNESCO recommends
For institutions, UNESCO IESALC recommends making AI literacy a core graduate competency, expanding training for staff and students, and establishing dedicated governance structures. It also calls for clearer rules on academic integrity in an environment where AI-generated content is increasingly common.
For governments, the report advises incorporating higher education into national AI strategies, providing dedicated funding, and developing national guidance. It further recommends integrating AI literacy and governance into accreditation and quality assurance frameworks.
The recommendations arrive as demand grows for practical training resources. Programs like AI for Teachers offer educators concrete ways to build the skills the report identifies as essential, while broader initiatives under AI for Education support institutions working toward the structured approach UNESCO describes.
Why this matters for education professionals
The 87% usage figure confirms what many faculty and administrators already sense: AI is in the classroom whether or not there is a policy for it. The 26% strategy figure means most institutions are still reacting rather than planning. For educators, the immediate takeaway is that waiting for top-down guidance before building AI literacy is a risk - students are using these tools now, and the quality of instruction around them depends on faculty who understand both their capabilities and their limits.
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