On some days, the presidential palace feels like a classic political stage. On others, like during the launch of Colombia Inteligente 2025, it looks more like a science fair with high‑level guests and a lot of big questions.
In this event, quantum science and artificial intelligence stopped being only buzzwords and turned into a promise, take advanced technologies to real territories, from the Pacific to the Eje Cafetero, through concrete projects and new labs.
Quantum technologies as a path to sovereignty
Several speakers repeated a key idea, developing quantum technologies is not only about shiny labs. It is about building intellectual sovereignty and new capacities so Colombia is not just a buyer of imported solutions.
Distrital University professor Omer Calderon stressed that this field can help the country become a knowledge reference in Latin America, as long as it invests in strong basic science, pilots, and tech‑based startups tied to local needs.
From this view, quantum science connects with big national goals, energy transition, better communications, stronger measurement systems, and even regional peace and inclusion.
The message is simple, if Colombia wants to sit at the global table, it must create its own technology, not only consume it.
Young voices explain why quantum and AI matter
The video gives the microphone to young researchers like Michael Caracas and Jessica Liset Santos, who bring complex topics down to earth.
They talk about particles that can be in two states at once, or stay “entangled” over long distances, and how those strange rules are now the base for new computers, sensors, and AI algorithms.
Jessica connects her path as a mathematician and Orquídeas fellow with the idea that quantum thinking helps accept uncertainty but also find hidden order, which is useful for building robust AI.
Both insist that these spaces must include more women, students from public universities, and people from regions that usually stay far from decisions made in Bogota.
What the Colombia Inteligente 2025 call will finance
In practical terms, Colombia Inteligente 2025 is a public call that will invest about US$5.2 million to fund around 13 strategic projects.
Each initiative can receive up to US$395,000, and must focus on AI or quantum science applied to territorial challenges, not only theoretical work.
Quantum lines include information processing and secure communication, quantum sensing and metrology, and energy and strategic minerals, while AI projects must follow ethical and sustainable guidelines already defined in national road maps.
To apply, alliances need universities, companies, and local players, so that solutions grow from real contexts such as rural communities, coastal areas, or mid‑size cities, not only from central campuses.
Building labs, training talent, and the first Colombian quantum computer
The event also shows that the call is only one piece in a wider agenda. MinCiencias has funded programs such as Orquídeas, Colombia Robotica, and Mujeres en la Ciencia to support thousands of students and researchers in STEM and AI fields.
Minister Yesenia Olaya announced that, together with Universidad del Valle and other public universities, the government is designing a project to build the first quantum computer made in Colombia, which would reinforce labs across the country.
The ministry reports 13 university programs in quantum sciences, more than 40 research groups in quantum technologies, and over 100 in AI, distributed in Bogota, the coffee region, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and other zones.
Regional and international indices now place Colombia among the leading Latin American countries in AI development and use, although there is still work to do in connectivity and infrastructure.
A political vision of AI, quantum tech, and the future
In his speech, President Gustavo Petro mixes physics, philosophy, and politics. He describes quantum science as a tool that could either help humanity reach the stars or amplify existing crises, depending on who controls it.
He warns that AI can increase productivity, but if gains go only to capital, it may throw millions of workers out of the market, deepening social conflict instead of solving it.
At the same time, he imagines a different path, where advanced technologies allow more free time, richer human lives, and collective knowledge that pushes the species to new horizons.
This part of the event turns the launch into more than a technical announcement. It becomes an open invitation to debate what kind of society Colombia wants to build with these tools.
Quantum science reaches the territories, not just the headlines
The message is clear, the “quantum year” is not only about a few scientists in white coats. It is about labs in schools, scholarships for young women, and projects designed with local communities.
If Colombia Inteligente 2025 and its follow‑up programs work as promised, quantum science and AI will stop being distant concepts. They will become part of daily life in the territories, helping people solve concrete problems while opening the door to a more ambitious scientific future.