Miami (April 22, 2026) - After months of intensive work, the AI Product Lab (AIPL), an initiative of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) supported by the Google News Initiative and developed by Marktube Group, has ended, marking a milestone in the digital transformation of journalism in Latin America. More than 20 media outlets in the region have implemented concrete artificial intelligence solutions that go beyond experimentation and address critical business challenges, from process automation and the generation of new revenue streams to the optimization of real-time news coverage.
“The AI Product Lab reflects the enormous potential of innovation when it is combined with talent, commitment, and a clear vision for the future. We have seen extraordinary enthusiasm from participating media outlets, which have moved from exploring artificial intelligence to integrating it concretely into their operations. At a time of profound transformation for journalism, this program demonstrates that it is possible to strengthen the sustainability, quality, and impact of journalistic work. We are especially grateful to Google for its strategic support in making this initiative possible,” said Carlos Lauría, Executive Director of IAPA.
“At Google, we are excited to see how media outlets in Latin America are incorporating the use of AI to improve processes. Beyond the technology, what truly inspires us is seeing how they are integrating AI to redefine journalism, making it not only more efficient, but also more sustainable. We are pleased to be part of this journey, seeing how regional innovation is setting a new standard for the industry,” said Alejandra Brambila, Google News Partner Manager.
The methodology was the key to success. The program was structured in three stages: first, a training phase of 12 group sessions with international experts who provided the foundational knowledge; second, intensive prototyping workshops (1:1 workshops) designed to translate abstract ideas into viable prototypes; and, finally, access to implementation funding together with personalized technical support for three months to ensure the deployment of the solutions.
“The fundamental difference of this program lies in the incorporation of prototyping workshops. We did not stop at theory; the methodology required media outlets to think in terms of ‘product,’ validating the technical feasibility and financial impact of each idea before writing the first line of code,” said Ezequiel Arbusti, an executive at Marktube Group.
The workshops designed to build the prototypes functioned as an internal accelerator. During these sessions, mentors worked with interdisciplinary teams from each media outlet. Product design tools were used to define the minimum viable product (MVP), map data flows, and establish measurable objectives and key results, ensuring that the investment of time and money produced a clear operational return.
The impact has been tangible. Participating media outlets developed solutions that improve operational efficiency, strengthen data-driven decision-making, and open up new business opportunities.
“We saw an impressive evolution. We went from media outlets that were fearful of or merely curious about AI to technical teams that are now capable of designing RAG architectures or intelligent agents that interact directly with their databases to generate real informational value,” said Rolando Castañón, head of the program’s technical mentoring.
The media outlets that received funding and support to carry out their projects were: ABC (Paraguay), Agencia Ocote (Guatemala), Búsqueda (Uruguay), Confidencial (Nicaragua), CR Hoy (Costa Rica), Diario El Heraldo (Honduras), Divergentes (Nicaragua), El Nacional (Venezuela), El País (Uruguay), El Regional del Zulia (Venezuela), La Hora (Ecuador), La Nación (Costa Rica), La Prensa (Nicaragua), La Prensa (Panama), La Prensa Gráfica (El Salvador), Listín Diario (Dominican Republic), Montevideo Portal (Uruguay), Prensa Libre (Guatemala), Redacción Regional (El Salvador), Revista Nómadas (Bolivia), and Televisora de Costa Rica - Teletica (Costa Rica).
Teletica Case: Real-time audience intelligence
Historically, Televisora de Costa Rica (Teletica) faced a critical disconnect between its audience data and its editorial content. Although it had minute-by-minute ratings metrics, identifying exactly which phrase, topic, or guest had caused an increase or decrease in audience levels required an exhausting manual process.
The team had to review hours-long video recordings and manually compare them with audience curves, a task that consumed full workdays.
To solve this friction, Teletica developed an AI-powered intelligent dashboard that automates real-time analysis. The system automatically cross-references content descriptions with ratings peaks.
“This tool has definitely had a disruptive, transformative, and beneficial impact for us,” explained Rodolfo González Mora, Director of Teletica. “It allows us to understand our audience much better, and it enables us to be far more accurate in our approach when delivering information to those audiences.”
“If there is one thing that is clear to me, it is that I cannot imagine going back to doing things the way we did before this tool,” he added.
This system reaches 95% accuracy in the transcription of what journalists and presenters say on air, turning data into a real asset for decision-making.
La Hora Case: Efficiency in Commercial Management
Diario La Hora of Ecuador faced an operational problem in its judicial notices department, a vital cash-flow stream that was highly manual and prone to errors. The project consisted of automating the receipt, quoting, and management of these notices through an AI-powered digital platform that ensures greater traceability and eliminates administrative bottlenecks.
Specific results include reducing the processing time of a notice from three hours to just 30 minutes. In addition to the time efficiency, the outlet has reduced quotation errors to zero, improving customer satisfaction and the financial health of the product.
“Participating in a program like this compels us to better organize our processes, to establish certain internal procedures that, while not directly part of the project, are related to it. So we have seen that the impact goes far beyond the tool we developed. And another thing that I have found fascinating is that it lifts some of the taboo surrounding the use of artificial intelligence in spaces outside the newsroom,” said Gabriela Vivanco, Director of La Hora and Chair of IAPA’s Executive Committee.
Listín Diario Case: The living archive of history
Listín Diario faced difficulties accessing its 136-year archive. The historical content had become a “dead asset” because manual searches were slow and costly. The solution was to create an AI-powered document management platform that transforms the archive into structured, searchable information through a chat interface based on RAG technology.
The project has achieved a drastic reduction in the time required to search for and consult information. What once required full days of research by several journalists can now be resolved in minutes, allowing 25% of the historical archive already digitized to become an immediate source for new reporting.
“We had had this idea in mind for a long time - to digitize part of our archive and speed up the search process. And we were truly stuck because we essentially lacked the resources and the proper technical guidance to move forward in this process. With the Marktube team and the funding provided by the Google News Initiative, we were able to bring to life an idea we had had for years, one that was very necessary and very much requested by the newsroom,” shared Juan Eduardo Thomas, Editor in Chief.
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.
