Recently, I had the privilege to attend the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit in São Paulo, Brazil. This summit brought together industry leaders, experts, and practitioners to delve into the latest trends, strategies, and best practices in the realm of data and analytics. The event highlighted Brazil’s rising significance in the AI landscape, featuring insightful discussions and presentations on AI adoption and innovation.

One captivating talk I participated in was by Eduardo Cantero Gonçalves, a seasoned Data Analytics manager at Mercado Livre (MercadoLibre), a prominent e-commerce and fintech company dominating the Latin American market. With operations spanning 18 countries, including key economies like Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia, Mercado Livre has established a vast online commerce and payments ecosystem, solidifying its leadership in the region.

Gonçalves shared Mercado Livre’s journey of democratizing data and AI across the organization, fostering a robust data-driven culture. In a rapidly evolving AI landscape, Mercado Livre’s experience offers invaluable insights for organizations seeking to leverage AI’s power and cultivate a data-centric mindset.

In this article, we will delve into the key takeaways from Gonçalves’s presentation, focusing on Mercado Livre’s strategies for data democratization, empowering non-technical users with low-code AI tools, and instilling a data-centric culture within the organization.

Mercado Livre’s Data Democratization Journey

The transformational journey of Mercado Livre towards data democratization has reshaped the company’s data and AI approach. Gonçalves underscored the shift from a centralized to a decentralized data environment, allowing teams across the organization to access and utilize data for informed decision-making and innovation.

An integral part of this transition was the development of proprietary data tools. By creating customized tools, Mercado Livre tailored solutions to specific needs, ensuring seamless integration with existing systems. This approach not only provided enhanced flexibility but also fostered ownership and collaboration among teams.

A significant milestone in Mercado Livre’s data democratization journey was the introduction of machine learning tools catering to both data scientists and business users. Gonçalves emphasized empowering non-technical users to leverage AI and ML independently, reducing reliance on data science teams. By offering user-friendly low-code tools, Mercado Livre enabled business users to explore AI and ML, driving innovation and efficiency across various departments.

The democratization of data and AI has significantly impacted Mercado Livre’s operations and culture, fostering a collaborative and data-centric environment where teams can easily access and analyze data to shape strategies and decisions. This shift has not only enhanced operational efficiency but has also unlocked new growth and innovation prospects.

Empowering Non-Technical Users with Low-Code AI Tools

An essential aspect of Mercado Livre’s data democratization journey is the focus on empowering non-technical users with low-code AI tools. Gonçalves highlighted the significance of enabling business users to experiment with AI and machine learning without extensive reliance on data science teams.

To facilitate this, Mercado Livre introduced an in-house tool named “Data Switch,” acting as a central web portal for users to access all data-related tools, including query builders, dashboards, and machine learning tools. This centralized platform simplifies the utilization of AI and ML capabilities for non-technical users without requiring advanced programming knowledge.

Gonçalves specified that Mercado Livre implemented low-code machine learning tools to empower business users to independently conduct experiments. Through intuitive interfaces and pre-built models, these tools enable domain experts to apply their expertise to AI-driven solutions, democratizing AI and accelerating innovation by involving more individuals in AI initiatives.

The impact of empowering non-technical users with low-code AI tools has been substantial for Mercado Livre, leading to a notable increase in active users, data storage, ETL jobs, and dashboards post the tools’ implementation. This success story at Mercado Livre offers a valuable example for organizations looking to democratize AI and empower their workforce, unlocking the full potential of non-technical users to drive innovation.