A New Chapter for Work in Brazil
Artificial intelligence is no longer a faraway promise. It is here, and it is already changing the working culture in Brazil. Through São Paulo's call centers, AI is already speeding into offices and factories and even spill over into creative industries. However, such transformations are overlaid with deep concerns: Who would get richer? And who would be left poorer?
Recent discussions in global media shed light on the stakes involved in it all. "How AI Is Causing a White-Collar Bloodbath" warns that white-collar roles-enter once considered safe-are now under threat. "AI Exchanges: AI's Impact on Employment" explains the reallocation of jobs, i.e., some jobs leave while others come in. Dr. Roman Yampolskiy's message is quite blunt in the video "These Are The Only 5 Jobs That Will Remain in 2030!": Only those professions that require human creativity, empathy, and ethical judgment will remain untouched according to him.
The Brazilian Picture
A Job Market in Transition
Pressure is already being felt in Brazil. Job postings demanding AI skills jumped from 19,000 in 2021 to 73,000 in 2024, almost reaching a figure four times that in 3 years. However, 30% of Brazilians have lesser digital skills. The alarming point is that the demand for jobs rises as the workforce falls behind.
Millions at Risk
Studies estimate that the number of workers that could be hit by AI maybe upward of 37 million, with 2 million jobs at risk of being fully automated. Projections are that 30 million positions could be disrupted, all by 2026. Such waves will be more felt in municipalities already starved for work.
Optimism Meets Unease
The Brazilians are embracing technology: more than half, 54%, used generative AI tools in 2024, well-above the global average. Trust is also high: 65% claimed to be confident about AI. And yet, anxiety prevails: 83% think that the onslaught of automation would make it harder to find jobs, while about 80% also fear that it would increase inequality. That is the biggest paradox: the excitement about opportunity, yet the simultaneous fear of being left out.
Small Firms, Big Hurdles
The Brazilian companies also find clear advantages: speed of operation, better customer service, and reduced costs. 65% of companies admit to making use of generative AI, while 28% have a tough time employing skilled talent to put the technology to work. Without any further training and support, the smaller players will have a hard time keeping up with the big corporations.
What Comes Next?
The government began taking notice. Brasília devised, in 2024, an AI plan of some R$23 billion (about $4 billion) to promote research, training, and regulation. Perhaps this plan will indeed help bridge the digital divide and train millions for jobs of the foreseeable future.
For USP researchers, learning and qualifications are essential for workers to adapt and maintain competitiveness in this new market. Furthermore, research indicates that artificial intelligence also has the potential to create new jobs. In the United Kingdom, according to a PwC study, the arrival of artificial intelligence could create 2.7 million jobs. In Brazil, however, the numbers are not as encouraging.
The Bottom Line
The AI is rewriting the working environment across Brazil. Clerical and managerial jobs are at risk, while creative, people-centered, and technology-oriented jobs gain ground. The urgency is that education must be spread and workers must be retrained so that AI does not deepen social divides.
Brazil stands at a crossroads. The country can allow automation to increase inequality, or it can start transforming the rise of AI into a force for shared prosperity. The choice is fast running out on them.
