Mexico Consolidates as the Second-Largest Exporter of AI Inputs, Behind Only China, According to the World Bank

ByDora Villanueva

This article by Dora Villanueva originally appeared in the August 4, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in Mexico is not yet very widespread, and concern about the use of this technology even prevails, but the country is already a key piece in its supply chain at the global level, the World Bank revealed. Last year, Mexico ranked as the second exporter of products used to build AI systems, behind only China. Other countries that have also become essential cogs in this infrastructure are Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, the organization noted.

“Approximately half of global exports of products used to build AI systems come from developing countries, such as China, Mexico, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, in that order, which have benefited from growing investment in semiconductors, electronics and data-center equipment,” the World Bank detailed in a new report.

In it, the organization warns that AI could allow developing countries to achieve in a decade what would otherwise take a century, provided that governments act quickly to close the gaps in power, connectivity, skills and institutional quality that threaten to leave them behind.

According to the World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence, the effects on employment are projected to be up to three times higher in developing countries than in high-income ones, and the increases in productivity are practically on par.

According to the organization, jobs in high-income countries have a 14.2 percent probability of being at risk of automation by generative AI, compared with those in low- and middle-income countries, where 4.5 percent of existing jobs are in the same situation.

At the same time, 16.2 percent of jobs in developing economies could see their productivity significantly increased thanks to AI, a figure close to the 18.7 percent forecast in high-income countries, the World Bank detailed when presenting its report.

The “Great Promise” Is Not to Replace Workers

“The greatest promise of AI for developing countries does not lie in replacing workers, but in enhancing their capabilities,” the organization emphasized.

Indermit Gill, chief economist of the World Bank Group, explained that developing countries precisely “do not need complex models or large data centers to benefit from AI”; they can start by adapting low-cost tools to local conditions, which would make better healthcare, education, judicial services and agricultural extension available to millions of people, he asserted.

The World Bank stressed that Mexico currently ranks among the leading exporters of inputs, but not in AI adoption. A survey cited by the organization even shows that 34.6 percent of the people consulted in the country are more worried than excited about the adoption of AI, compared with 12.6 percent for whom enthusiasm prevails. Among the rest, the position is neutral.

Beyond the differences that exist between countries in adopting AI, investments, especially by US firms, are so massive, 775 billion dollars in 2026 alone, that they exceed the gross domestic product of several developing countries.