Medellin’s ‘Ruta N’ Inks Robotics, Artificial-Intelligence Development Deal

New York-based Institute for Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence (IRPA-AI) announced November 29 that Medellin’s “Ruta N” information-technology development center inked a deal whereby IRPA-AI will help launch a “Digital Americas Pipeline Initiative” (DAPI).

“The initiative will provide companies with direct access to trained, experienced, and certified robotics process automation [RPA] and artificial intelligence [AI] professionals on-demand and at-scale,” according to IRPA-AI.

The partners expect that the new deal will create “thousands of RPA and AI jobs in Medellín,” according to the Institute.

“DAPI will leverage IRPA-AI’s membership network, trusted relationships, training and certification capabilities, as well as the cost-effective technology talent pool in Medellín to provide North and South American enterprises, service providers, startups and advisory firms with trained, experienced and certified RPA and AI professionals,” according to the Institute.

The deal will include IRPA-AI apprenticeships, training and certification programs, business networks “to promote market engagement and sales for new AI/machine learning, RPA, and digital powered services,” according to the Institute.

DAPI also aims to trigger more research and development in automation and AI “to enable analytics, Internet of Things [IoT] and cloud computing,” while generating more economic growth and jobs in Medellin.

“The greatest challenge in the rapidly expanding RPA and AI space is not technology, it’s talent, and proximity to that talent,” said Frank Casale, founder of IRPA-AI.

“This is the first initiative of its kind to address this challenge, while creating scalable and affordable talent from a trusted, time-zone-friendly source. DAPI has full support from the Colombian government, businesses and academic research communities,” he added.

“DAPI is a direct and bi-directional conduit, connecting RPA and AI technology, talent, intellectual property and funding between North and South America,” said Alejandro Franco, executive director of Ruta N.

“It provides us with economic fuel, creating highly sought-after employment opportunities that will positively and significantly impact our city’s future business development. Frank Casale’s vision, and IRPA-AI’s expansive global network and technology expertise will help anchor Medellín as the RPA and AI hub of Latin America,” Franco added.

Companies around the world “have woken-up to the transformational effect that RPA and AI bring to their businesses [but] are hard-pressed to find the right digital talent from a relatively small pool,” according to the institute.

“A global study from IDT found that 80% of businesses cite digital transformation as a priority, but only 17% of respondents had enough employees with the right skills to embark on a smooth digital transformation.

“The serious shortage of experienced and qualified people who can meet the demand has U.S. and Canadian corporations looking outside traditional sources for geographically close and cost-effective talent,” the Institute added.