We Have Been Using AI All Along: What Uber, Airbnb, and Amazon Knew Before ChatGPT

By: Mariano Bernardez, Kaufman Center

AI, an old friend

Before ChatGPT and boardroom buzzwords, AI was already quietly transforming how we moved, hosted, shopped, and earned—without ever announcing itself as "artificial intelligence."

In this article, I unpack how leading platforms like Uber, Airbnb, Amazon, and Mercado Libre have long relied on AI not as a futuristic novelty but as the hidden engine behind matchmaking, trust-building, and digital inclusion. From ride-matching to fraud detection, from microloans to dynamic pricing, AI has been managing the nanoeconomy for years.

This isn't a story about tomorrow's tech—it's about the tools that millions already use, often without knowing their names. And it matters especially for Latin America, where 40% of the workforce lives outside formal structures but squarely within the reach of mobile platforms and AI-driven apps.

🔍 What you’ll find inside:

• How these platforms quietly pioneered AI systems to serve “prosumers”

• What their models teach us about building inclusive economies

• Why apps like Vecinos could become the next leap in social innovation

Read the full article to see how the most disruptive innovations begin not in labs—but in pockets.

FULL ARTICLE