Brazil is a growing market for AI-driven products produced by global tech firms, with energy sector players such as Petrobras among those taking a lead. But the country’s president, Lula da Silva, says he is determined that Latin America’s largest economy should be a leading AI developer, not just a passive consumer.
The government launched a $4bn initiative known as “AI for the good of all”, designed to realise this ambition, at a meeting in the capital Brasilia on July 30. The move aims to underline that AI development is one Brazil’s top priorities, at a time when it holds the presidency of the G20 group of countries. The initiative was developed by scientists and other experts from 117 public, private, and civil society organizations.
Brazil “must dare to make things happen”, rather than waiting for AI to come from China, the US and Korea, Lula said. “The document on AI that you've given me today, created by Brazilian scientists, is a milestone for our nation. Brazil needs to learn how to soar."
The plan calls for more than 50 measures to be implemented over the next four years by government ministries, which are designed to have an immediate impact. It focuses on promoting infrastructure for AI development, dissemination, training, and professional qualification, public services improvement, fostering business innovation, and beefing up regulatory and governance processes in the sector.
Of the overall $4bn of spending envisaged for 2024-28, the plan foresees some $2.4bn being invested in AI-related business innovation and around $1bn on infrastructure and development. The government said the AI strategy was the first result of a 10-year strategy to boost the country’s science and technology sector.
As current holder of the G20 presidency, Brazil has adopted the role of torch bearer for the developed word on AI. In 2023, UN Secretary General António Guterres asked President Lula to lead the process of mobilizing countries of the Global South to discuss AI.
Innovation hub
Brazilian AI developers can count on keen interest from global giants eager to lend a hand in this drive and build their footprint in a valuable market.
Brazil is “quickly emerging as a world-class AI innovation hub”, according to a recent blog on the Microsoft website. “By massively adopting AI, Brazil can experience productivity gains that will add a few percentage points to its GDP in the near future,” Tânia Cosentino, General Manager of Microsoft Brazil, said.
One example of international collaboration is a partnership between Petrobras and Microsoft to develop ChatPetrobras, which uses the GPT model and Microsoft Azure AI technologies to create a tool deployed within the energy company. ChatPetrobras is designed to facilitate faster decision-making, provide business insights, and improve internal workflow efficiency for over 100,000 Petrobras workers, while being compliant with information security standards, data protection laws, and Brazilian government regulations, according to Microsoft.
Regulatory drive
Brazil is a regional leader in pushing to ensure AI development takes place with adequate safeguards that are on a par with those of international counterparts.
That has created flashpoints with some tech companies operating in the social media sphere, in particular. The most notable is Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram. Meta was recently blocked from using Brazilians' Instagram and Facebook posts to train its AI models, echoing similar moves in Europe, triggered by changes to the Meta’s privacy policy. As a result, Meta said in mid-July it was suspending use of generative artificial intelligence tools in Brazil.
(Photo: Presidential Palace, Brasilia/Shutterstock)
