New York Times corrects report on Chile’s A.I. expansion timeline after misstating timing of government plan announcement

The New York Times has issued a correction to its October 20 feature, “How Chile Embodies A.I.’s No-Win Politics,” after misstating when the Chilean government expects to announce its final plan for developing data centres in the country’s north.

The original version of the article, written by Paul Mozur and published online with photo essays by Marcos Zegers, stated that the plan would be unveiled before Chile’s national elections next month. The paper later clarified that officials hope to announce it by the end of the year, not before the vote. The correction was appended on October 22 to the digital and mobile editions.

The article explored Chile’s uneasy role at the intersection of technological ambition and environmental fragility — torn between the promise of A.I.-driven growth and the growing backlash over the energy and water demands of data centres run by foreign tech giants such as Google and Amazon. The story’s framing of the government’s timeline gave the impression that the Boric administration was rushing the announcement for political optics ahead of elections, rather than continuing its consultations and negotiations into the year’s end.

That misstatement matters because it subtly shifted the political context of the debate. Suggesting an election-eve reveal implied a sense of urgency or opportunism that could colour perceptions of the government’s motives — particularly in a country already divided over whether A.I. represents progress or exploitation.

The Times amended the text to reflect the correct schedule, affirming that the Chilean government hopes to present the plan by year’s end as part of a broader strategy to balance innovation with environmental stewardship and public accountability.