--- title: "AI adoption in Latin America: how many companies pay for AI" description: "Most companies in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia now pay for at least one AI tool, and spending by the same companies is rising fast. October 2026 data." canonical: "https://www.clara.com/ai-latam-monitor-posts/ai-adoption-in-latin-america" lang: "en-US" alternate_html: "https://www.clara.com/ai-latam-monitor-posts/ai-adoption-in-latin-america" --- # AI adoption in Latin America: how many companies pay for AI (2026) November 13, 2026 **In October 2026, 36.6% of companies in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia paid for at least one AI tool. In 12 months, the share rose 13.5 points, from 23%.** Colombia leads the region, with 41.9%. Brazil has 36.2%, and Mexico, 35.8%. By company size, mid-sized companies lead. And companies that were already paying are spending more: monthly AI spend by the same companies more than quadrupled in a year. The figures come from Clara's [AI Monitor](https://www.clara.com/ai-monitor), which tracks monthly spending on AI vendors by more than 45,000 companies that use Clara's corporate card in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia. A company counts as paying when it pays at least one AI vendor in the month. **Key findings** - In October 2026, 36.6% of companies in the region paid for at least one AI tool; in October 2025, the share was 23%. - Colombia has the largest share of the three countries, 41.9%; Mexico has 35.8%. - At mid-sized companies, 42.1% pay for AI, 23% more than at small ones (34.1%). - Technology is the sector with the most companies paying for AI (59.2%); food has the fewest (25.9%). - Monthly AI spend by the same companies in the region more than quadrupled between October 2025 and October 2026. ![% of companies that paid for at least one AI vendor in the month, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, Jan 2024 to Oct 2026](https://www.clara.com/_astro/assets/grafico.e9a37e4b.svg) ### How many companies in Latin America pay for AI? A little more than a third. In October 2026, 36.6% of companies in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia paid for at least one AI tool on the corporate card. In October 2025, the share was 23%. From September to October, the share barely moved (+0.6 points). That does not mean fewer companies are paying for AI: the number of companies measured also grows every month. The count includes any AI tool a company pays for: an assistant subscription such as ChatGPT or Claude, a coding, video or voice tool, or credits to use AI models in its own systems. ### Which of the three countries pays the most? Colombia. It has the largest share of companies paying for AI, 41.9%, and also advanced the most in 12 months (+17.5 points). Brazil (36.2%) is slightly ahead of Mexico (35.8%). ### Which companies pay the most for AI? Mid-sized ones. In the region, 42.1% of mid-sized companies pay for AI, more than large ones (39.8%) and 23% more than small ones (34.1%). By sector, technology leads, with 59.2% of companies paying for AI, followed by marketing (49.8%) and education (48.4%). Professional services (41.3%), real estate (32.4%) and retail and wholesale (30.5%) come next. Food has the smallest share of the twelve sectors, 25.9%. ### Is AI spending still growing? Yes. Tracking the same companies, monthly AI spend in the region more than quadrupled between October 2025 and October 2026\. In Brazil, it more than quadrupled; in Mexico, it more than quadrupled; in Colombia, it grew more than sixfold. So it is not just that more companies are paying: those that were already paying are now spending more. | Country | Oct 2025 | Sep 2026 | Oct 2026 | Month | 12-month change | | ------------- | -------- | -------- | -------- | ------- | --------------- | | Latin America | 23% | 36% | 36.6% | +0.6 pp | +13.5 pp | | Brazil | 23.3% | 36.3% | 36.2% | −0.1 pp | +12.9 pp | | Mexico | 22.6% | 34.9% | 35.8% | +0.9 pp | +13.2 pp | | Colombia | 24.4% | 40.6% | 41.9% | +1.3 pp | +17.5 pp | Source: AI Monitor (Clara), October 2026\. % of companies that paid for at least one AI tool in the month. Latin America = Brazil, Mexico and Colombia combined. Client companies with corporate card transactions. ![Clara](https://www.clara.com/_astro/assets/clara-logo.c4dab7c8.svg) ### How to cite AI Monitor (Clara), "AI adoption in Latin America: how many companies pay for AI (2026)", updated November 2026\. 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