Brazil leads AI readiness in Latin America, according to a new Salesforce study, but gaps in innovation and investment threaten long-term competitiveness.
Brazil is emerging as Latin America’s most advanced market for AI adoption even as it lags far behind global leaders in the critical areas of innovation and investment.
That is the central takeaway from the Global AI Readiness Index, a new study released by Salesforce that evaluates how prepared 16 major economies are to integrate AI – particularly autonomous AI agents – into their business and public-sector systems.
The index places Brazil 13th out of 16 countries in overall AI maturity. While this ranking reflects challenges that are familiar across developing economies, Brazil distinguishes itself within its region. With a score of 18.0 points, the country leads the three Latin American markets analysed ahead of Mexico (15.3) and Argentina (14.1).
The report offers a granular view of how Brazil compares across five core dimensions: regulatory framework, diffusion and adoption, innovation, investment and human capital. These dimensions – supported by 31 indicators – provide a roadmap of what the country has achieved and where its biggest bottlenecks lie.
A solid regulatory foundation, but slow uptake
Among the dimensions measured, Brazil performs comparatively well in regulation. With a score of 8.5, the country sits just shy of the global average (8.6). This is notable given ongoing debates over AI regulation worldwide and the common perception that Brazil’s complex regulatory environment tends to hinder technology development.
Salesforce emphasises that Brazil’s regulatory footing is ‘close to what is seen in the world, especially in Europe’ where governing frameworks for emerging tech are more consolidated. This alignment positions Brazil favourably as governments and companies prepare for the rise of AI agents – systems capable not only of processing and generating data but of planning, reasoning and autonomously executing tasks end-to-end.
According to the study, corporate adoption of AI agents is expected to grow 327% within two years, unlocking potential productivity gains averaging 30% across industries. These systems, which can coordinate multi-step workflows and make decisions with minimal intervention, are seen as the next frontier of AI-driven transformation for both public and private organisations.
Yet Brazil’s relatively strong regulatory context has not yet translated into widespread adoption. The country scores just 5.0 in diffusion and adoption well below the global benchmark (5.8). Human capital – measured through the availability of skilled professionals, research capacity and workforce readiness – also lands below the global average, with Brazil scoring 3.5 compared to 4.5.
Innovation and investment: Brazil’s weakest links
Where Brazil falls furthest behind is in innovation and investment scoring 0.5 and 0.4, respectively. These numbers are significantly lower than the global averages of 1.7 and 1.4 and they highlight systemic barriers that could limit the country’s ability to sustain long-term AI leadership in the region.
The innovation deficit reflects factors such as patent output, R&D intensity and the presence of AI-focused start-ups. Meanwhile, low scores in investment point to constrained funding flows, both public and private, toward AI-enabling technologies – from computing infrastructure to specialised research initiatives.
While Brazil has a promising regulatory structure, the report stresses that the country must create stronger economic and institutional incentives to accelerate development. Without targeted funding mechanisms, scalable training pipelines and high-capacity computing resources, Brazil risks falling further behind global competitors – even if it continues to lead within Latin America.
Three priorities for unlocking Brazil’s AI potential
Based on the diagnostic, Salesforce outlines three priority areas to expand Brazil’s AI readiness.
- Turn strong regulation into real-world implementation
This involves operationalising Brazil’s regulatory foundation through initiatives such as AI sandboxes, clearer public procurement mechanisms and standardised guidelines for safe and responsible AI adoption.
- Accelerate capital flow and innovation capacity
The study points to instruments commonly used by innovation-driven economies: mission-oriented programs, computing credits for AI experimentation, blended finance models and public-private co-investment.
- Scale human capital and adoption
This includes applied training programs, incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt AI tools and support for AI integration across public services.
A country already moving in the right direction
Despite the gaps identified, Salesforce stresses that momentum is building. Brazil’s ongoing debate over attracting new data centres, recent tax reform measures and national programs such as the Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Program (PBIA) reflect an increasing institutional focus on the technology.
“Brazil has enormous potential to stand out on the global AI stage,” says Pedro Brasileiro, Senior Manager of Government Relations at Salesforce in Brazil. He highlights the country’s regulatory alignment and emphasises the role of coordinated action across sectors.
“Strategic investments in technological education, incentives for innovation, and public policies that foster the responsible adoption of AI can transform the country into a hub of excellence,” Brasileiro said. He underscores the importance of expanding digital infrastructure and attracting investment to ensure that AI-driven growth is inclusive.
Salesforce itself has engaged in local capacity-building initiatives. In partnership with the states of Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo, the company is supporting free training programs aimed at preparing thousands of people to develop and work with AI agents. These efforts tie directly to the study’s emphasis on strengthening human capital as a prerequisite for scaling AI adoption nationwide.
National strategies and sectoral opportunities
Brazil’s recent policy efforts are also aligned with emerging AI frontiers. The Brazilian AI Strategy (2021) and the PBIA 2024–2028 give particular focus to generative AI, autonomous AI agents, ethics and sectoral applications in areas such as logistics, health, agriculture, transport and government services.
These priorities reflect broader economic opportunities. AI-driven logistics optimisation could significantly reduce operational costs in Brazil’s complex transportation networks. In agriculture, where Brazil is already a global powerhouse, AI agents could help predict weather impacts, enhance supply-chain traceability and optimise commodity yields. Public-sector applications – from judicial automation to citizen-service chatbots – also offer major potential to reduce bottlenecks and improve service delivery.
Importantly, Brazil has an advantage few global AI competitors can claim: a large reserve of clean and affordable energy which is increasingly attractive to data-centre operators. As interest grows in sustainable and geographically diversified data-centre infrastructure, the report notes that Brazil’s energy matrix could be a strategic asset for expanding AI research and development capacity.
AI readiness in a global race
While Brazil’s ranking near the bottom of the global list may seem discouraging, Salesforce emphasises that AI readiness must be seen in relative terms. Even the most advanced markets—Singapore, the US and the UK—show uneven progress across the five dimensions. Emerging markets face additional hurdles including limited capital and infrastructure constraints which makes Brazil’s leadership position in Latin America particularly notable.
The country’s next challenge is scaling what already works while unlocking the investment and innovation needed to compete more effectively on the global stage. With AI agents set to redefine how both governments and companies operate, readiness is no longer a long-term planning exercise – it is an immediate economic imperative.
