Uncertainty over how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) might impact the labor market is a concern shared by most countries.

Argentina is no exception. In fact, there are grounds for this concern.

According to a recent study by the Economic and Social Council of Buenos Aires City (in Spanish, CESBA), it is the Latin American country with the highest level of occupational exposure to GenAI.

CESBA is a non-governmental public body that drafts legislation, technical reports, and recommendations for the city’s executive and legislative branches.

Based on data from the International Labor Organization (ILO), they found that on a scale of 0 to 1, the country has an exposure level of 0.292.

By way of comparison, Chile has 0.279, followed by Brazil (0.276) and Mexico (0.261). In the Americas, it is surpassed only by Canada (0.322) and the United States (0.332).

CESBA President Manuel Socias told the Herald that this is due to the fact that Argentina is the country with the highest urbanization rate in Latin America — 97% of its population currently lives in cities.

This means that the bulk of its employment is urban, with the majority (78%) of jobs located in the service sector, the economic branch most susceptible to the impact of GenAI.

And there is no region in Argentina where the exposure is higher than in Buenos Aires City.

Buenos Aires leading the way

The main focus of the CESBA study, called the Occupational Exposure Index to GenAI, is the impact of GenAI on Buenos Aires City. According to the authors, this is a pioneering study on a global scale, as no other city has conducted such an analysis.

The data reveal that Buenos Aires’ exposure level is 0.353, well above the national average. The closest........

© Buenos Aires Herald