November 13, 2026
An imagined team of Salvadoran developers tests a robotic arm in a San Salvador workshop. AI-generated illustration for Our Life in El Salvador.
I didn’t realize how much El Salvador was doing with artificial intelligence until I read an article in Diario El Salvador this morning. It pointed me to a Forbes piece by Cathy Hackl about a new program called Deploy. What surprised me was that El Salvador already had a national AI agency. Now it’s helping AI and robotics startups develop and test their ideas here. Diario El Salvador
What is Deploy?
El Salvador’s National Artificial Intelligence Agency, known as ANIA, introduced Deploy at Bitcoin Histórico in San Salvador this week. The program will work with young companies developing AI software and robotics. It’s what the technology industry calls an accelerator. The idea is to give small teams access to resources that can help them get a product ready for real-world use. El Salvador in English
According to the Forbes article, those resources include credits to pay for computing power, access to national datasets, and opportunities to try out products in supervised tests. The program also says founders will keep ownership of the technology they develop. For a small team, having a place to test an idea under real conditions could make a big difference. Forbes article republished by Yahoo Tech
Will Salvadoran companies get a chance?
That was one of my first questions. ANIA told Diario El Mundo that it expects the first group to include eight to twelve companies, with a mix of Salvadoran and international startups. Savior Ventures is the founding investment partner. Innogen Capital, a Salvadoran venture capital firm, will advise founders and evaluate companies through its own process. Private investors will make their own funding decisions. Diario El Mundo
I’ll be interested to see which Salvadoran teams get picked and what problems they choose to work on. Someone who has dealt with a problem firsthand may see a solution that an outside company would overlook.
What could this mean in everyday life?
Two examples in the Forbes article caught my attention. One was using AI to help manage traffic. The other was monitoring water resources. I can see how those ideas might be useful here. A city could study where traffic backs up at certain times of day. A water agency could look for changes in supply that deserve a closer look. Both are examples of what the technology might do as projects get underway. Forbes article republished by Yahoo Tech
I’ll be watching for the announcement of the first group. I’d like to see what Salvadoran developers build, where they get to test it, and whether it helps solve a problem people here deal with every day.
If you could put a team of local developers to work on one problem in your community, what would you ask them to tackle? Let me know in the comments. If you enjoyed the post, please give it a like and share it.
Before you go, I’d like to share a personal story. My memoir, Where Love Led Us, tells the true story of how I met my wife, Elizabeth, while we were both working for the same company in the United States. What began as a workplace friendship grew into a journey that eventually led us to build a life together in El Salvador. If you enjoy stories of love, perseverance, cultural discovery, and the unexpected paths life can take. Find Where Love Led Us on Amazon
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