AI Technology Emerges from Cuba: A New Player in the Field

The Cuban software development company, Avangenio, which is part of the Informatics and Communications Business Group, unveiled a new national artificial intelligence (AI) platform named SocIA this Thursday. This announcement was shared on the official Cuban government site Cubadebate's Facebook page, where a video featured Alain Abel Garófalo, Avangenio's AI strategy leader, advocating for this technological innovation as a viable alternative to international solutions that are frequently inaccessible to Cuban businesses.

SocIA is designed to handle multiple file formats simultaneously, such as text, audio, and video, with customizable AI agents tailored to meet the specific needs of organizations or individuals. Garófalo stated that this agent is already in use within Avangenio, yielding positive results, and noted that in comparative tests with foreign solutions, users favored SocIA's performance. Additionally, he emphasized the cost savings achieved by avoiding the need for foreign services.

"Without adopting AI, Cuban companies will be entirely excluded from participating in the global market," Garófalo warned, emphasizing the importance of developing domestic capabilities amid technological restrictions due to the embargo and limited access to foreign tools. He also highlighted AI's potential in high-demand intellectual sectors such as public health, particularly in diagnostic and medical evaluation processes, where SocIA's potential as a process accelerator is now being explored.

Cubadebate's website reported that during the official presentation, Ariadne Plascencia Castro, president of the Informatics and Communications Business Group, hailed this solution as a step forward in the country's digital transformation, offering a "sovereign platform generated from Cuba" to provide AI services.

SocIA integrates with other tools developed by Avangenio, such as NosWork (a virtual office) and ERPNext, a digital business environment. The platform's design facilitates real-time work with text, audio, or video files across mobile phones, tablets, or computers, making it a versatile, cross-platform solution adaptable to various settings, as cited by the source.

Among its features, SocIA includes task automation, data analysis, email drafting, and other common AI system actions, all operated through personalized agents based on user or entity requirements. The software is intended for diverse sectors, from pure sciences to social sciences, and will be available in three versions: Basic, Team, and Enterprise, as revealed during the presentation.

Garófalo explained that SocIA functions as a platform of intelligent agents capable of synchronizing with the specific dynamics of each organization to enhance efficiency and outcomes. The event also fostered discussions with representatives from companies, ministries, and institutions about potential applications of this technology in areas such as public health, academia, and cultural sectors.

Since early 2025, President Miguel Díaz-Canel has intensified rhetoric around AI as a solution to Cuba's deep-seated structural challenges. In a recent speech, he promoted the use of this technology in strategic sectors, though the country's reality contradicts this ambition. A clear example is the distribution of liquefied gas, which continues to be manually regulated despite promises of automation. This disconnect between official discourse and technological reality raises questions about the feasibility of governmental plans.

Shortly thereafter, on the program Desde la Presidencia, Díaz-Canel suggested replacing mass emigration with robots, advocating for robotics and AI to save the national industry. He asserted that the only way to economically support the inactive population is through process automation.

Recently, the president led a meeting with the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, where he reiterated that the future of the nation hinges on AI and urged a reform of university curricula. Despite acknowledging the absence of minimal technical conditions to develop these projects, he argued that the country can progress thanks to its human capital. This stance, presented as a "digital emancipation" strategy, clashes with the everyday hardships of the population and the lack of technological resources, underscoring the gap between official narrative and real life on the island.