Latin America stands out in the adoption of artificial intelligence in smartphones with increasingly daily use

Latin America has established itself as one of the regions with the greatest adoption of artificial intelligence in mobile devicesdriven not only by interest in new technologies but, above all, by their direct usefulness in daily life. This was confirmed by the global executives of Samsung within the framework of Galaxy Unpacked held in San Francisco.

El Comercio attended the regional conference, where the company noted that 90% of Latin American Galaxy S25 users actively use AI functions, and that 99% perceive concrete benefits in their daily use. Among the main contributions identified are time savings and efficiency (65%), the reduction of language barriers (61%), the improvement of images (63%) and a greater ability to focus on relevant tasks such as work or creativity (58%).

“The success of artificial intelligence is not measured by how advanced it is, but by how naturally it fits into people’s lives”said Won-Joon Choi, President, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Head of R&D Office of Samsung’s Mobile eXperience (MX) business.

One of the central messages highlighted that the adoption of AI is not linked to its level of technical sophistication, but to its natural integration into daily routine. “We don’t see AI as a premium feature for a few, but rather as everyday, reliable infrastructure,” Choi added.

Productivity before technological novelty

In markets where the smartphone functions as the main digital tool, AI is adopted when it can solve everyday tasks.

“The key purchase factors for a smartphone remain the same: performance is still number one, followed by camera and battery, and now artificial intelligence is already in the top five,” said Won-Joon Choi.

This pattern is clearly replicated in the Peruvian market. According to Manuel Cigarán, director of the Mobile Experience Division of Samsung Peru, the first users to adopt AI functions respond to a clearly functional profile.

“We observed that the first Peruvian users to adopt AI functions are young professionals, entrepreneurs and content creators, who seek to optimize their productivity and improve the quality of their communications and content,” he explained to El Comercio.

In its daily use, AI manifests itself in concrete and repetitive tasks. “Galaxy AI allows them to automatically enhance photographs, optimize message writing, translate conversations in real time and transcribe voice recordings, facilitating both communication and information management,” he added.

Language and communication: a key adoption accelerator

The reduction of language barriers stands out as one of the most relevant factors to understand regional leadership. More than 60% of Latin American users surveyed highlighted real-time translation and interpretation as one of the clearest benefits of mobile AI.

From a regional perspective, this behavior confirms that AI is perceived as an everyday tool. “Artificial intelligence tools are not just technological innovations, but very practical companions in people’s daily lives”said HS Jo, CEO and president of Samsung for Latin America.

From reactive tool to proactive assistant

Another structural change highlighted by executives is the move from a phone that responds to commands to one that anticipates needs.

During the conference, executives illustrated this change with an everyday example: a person finishing a meeting and must move on to their next commitment. In this scenario, the system recognizes the context and automatically suggests booking a transport, replicating in the background the actions that the user would normally do on the screen.

From the local market, Cigarán reinforced this idea by pointing out that “Artificial intelligence is no longer a one-off function and is now structurally integrated into the team’s experience, eliminating friction in daily activities and allowing the phone to better understand the user.”.

The most advanced capabilities, such as AI agents are still going through a stage of progressive adoption. However, the company anticipates that this resistance will decrease over time. “As these capabilities become more naturally integrated into hardware and software, we will see adoption with greater confidence,” the spokespersons indicated.

Trust, privacy and user control

AI adoption is also linked to trust. During the conference it was insisted that “privacy and security are not optional; they must be mandatory.” Along those lines, it was explained that some AI functions run directly on the device, while others operate in the cloud, with options for the user to decide how their information is processed.

“In sensitive use cases, everything runs on the device itself,” HS Jo specified, while other tasks turn to the cloud to maintain the quality of the results.

AI as everyday infrastructure

Finally, at both a global and regional level, the company proposed a vision that helps explain the role of Latin America as one of the regions with the highest adoption of mobile AI: artificial intelligence is not conceived as an exclusive attribute.

Together, the data and testimonies outline a clear profile: the adoption of artificial intelligence in smartphones in Latin America grows when the technology solves real problems, integrates frictionlessly into daily routines and keeps people in control of their experience. More than a race for novelty, it is an adoption guided by usefulness, context and everyday need.