Text and data mining supports the development of artificial intelligence by making it possible to analyze large volumes of digital content automatically and build corpora for training, fine-tuning and specializing AI models. This bulletin from ECLAC’s Digital Development Observatory analyzes the role of text and data mining in the AI value chain and examines international regulatory developments in this area. It also highlights how persistent regulatory gaps and legal uncertainty in Latin America and the Caribbean limit the region’s ability to make use of its information assets. Developing frameworks that provide greater legal certainty for research and innovation while protecting creators’ rights offers an opportunity to strengthen regional capabilities in the age of artificial intelligence.