OpenAI is taking a major step in Brazil by launching commercial operations in São Paulo, strengthening its relationship with one of the world’s fastest-growing AI markets.
The company says its new local team will work directly with Brazilian businesses, developers, researchers, universities, and public institutions. The goal is to help the country move beyond simply experimenting with artificial intelligence and turn widespread adoption into economic growth, stronger businesses, better public services, and new opportunities.
Brazil is already one of ChatGPT’s three largest markets by weekly active users. According to OpenAI, usage has nearly doubled over the past year, with people in the country sending around 215 million messages to ChatGPT every day.
Why Brazil Matters to OpenAI
Brazil’s AI adoption is no longer limited to individuals trying out new technology.
OpenAI’s latest country-level data suggests that ChatGPT is becoming part of everyday professional activity. In June 2026, 35% of classified messages from individual ChatGPT accounts in Brazil were work-related, compared with 30% globally.
More than half of those work-related messages, around 53%, involved asking ChatGPT to perform a task or produce an output.
That includes activities such as drafting proposals, analyzing information, creating marketing materials, and writing code.
The numbers point to an important change: Brazilians are increasingly treating AI as a practical workplace tool rather than simply a conversational assistant.
This shift mirrors the wider movement toward AI systems that can take on increasingly sophisticated tasks. From Autocomplete to Autopilot: OpenAI Crowned Industry Leader in the Rise of Enterprise Coding Agents looks at how AI coding agents are changing the way companies approach software development.
AI Could Add Nearly R$1 Trillion to Brazil’s Economy
There is also a significant economic argument behind OpenAI’s expansion.
An independent study by RegLab, funded by OpenAI, estimates that AI could contribute nearly R$1 trillion to Brazil’s economy by 2030.
However, turning that potential into measurable economic value will require more than making AI tools available.
Brazil will need:
- AI skills and training
- Strong research capacity
- Responsible deployment
- Effective governance
- Collaboration between technology companies and institutions
- Wider access to useful AI applications
OpenAI’s new commercial presence is intended to help address some of those needs.
Small businesses are already finding practical uses.
Some of the clearest examples of AI adoption are coming from Brazilian entrepreneurs.
Jewelry designer Lina Prades, for example, initially used ChatGPT to create social media content. Her use of the technology later expanded into areas such as advertising, pricing, inventory management, and production.
Without a technical background, Prades eventually built two management applications. One is already being used in her daily operations, while the other could potentially become a product for other jewelry businesses.
Another example is Ariane Santos, founder of Tapioca da Ari. She uses ChatGPT to develop recipes, improve menus, and communicate more consistently with customers.
These examples show that AI adoption isn’t necessarily about sophisticated technology projects. For smaller companies, even relatively simple applications can help improve organization, marketing, customer communication, and productivity.
Brazil’s Developer Community Is Growing Fast
Brazil’s technology community is also becoming increasingly important to OpenAI.
By the number of developers using the OpenAI API, Brazil ranks second globally. The country is also OpenAI’s largest Latin American market for Codex.
Since the beginning of 2026, OpenAI says the number of weekly Codex users in Brazil has increased more than elevenfold, while daily interactions have grown almost thirty times.
Business adoption is rising as well.
The number of ChatGPT Enterprise seats in Brazil has increased fivefold year over year, while the country ranks among OpenAI’s ten largest markets based on business customers.
The trend suggests that Brazilian companies are moving from isolated AI experiments toward more integrated workplace applications.
OpenAI Is Working With Brazilian Institutions
The company’s expansion isn’t limited to commercial customers.
OpenAI says it is building partnerships with universities, research institutions, government bodies, and organizations supporting small businesses.
One example is the partnership with the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA), through which students, faculty, and staff will receive ChatGPT Edu accounts. The arrangement also includes credits for advanced capabilities such as reasoning models and Codex.
Research is another major focus.
The Instituto de Matemática Pura e Aplicada (IMPA) will study what research institutions need to turn access to AI into scientific progress.
Meanwhile, the Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (HCFMUSP) will evaluate a people-first clinical information infrastructure prototype for Brazil’s public healthcare system, with physician judgment and human oversight remaining central.
AI’s role in healthcare is becoming an increasingly important discussion worldwide. Bridging the Care Gap: How AI Is Restoring the Human Touch to Medicine explores how technology can support healthcare without losing the human element.
Building AI Skills Across the Country
OpenAI is also putting emphasis on AI literacy.
Together with ENTER, a Brazilian AI company operating in the legal sector, OpenAI is developing a national AI literacy program for legal professionals.
The training will focus not only on using ChatGPT but also on helping professionals understand how to use AI critically, safely, and effectively.
There is a similar push to help small businesses.
In partnership with Estímulo, OpenAI is developing free, mobile-first AI training for micro- and small-business owners. The training will cover practical areas such as
- Marketing
- Sales
- Customer service
- Finance
- Management
- Productivity
The objective is to make AI useful for businesses that may not have large technology teams or extensive resources.
AI and Public Services
OpenAI is also exploring how artificial intelligence could support government services.
The company and the city of São Paulo, through Prodam, have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at making AI available to São Paulo and potentially other public administrations across Brazil.
If successful, initiatives like this could demonstrate how AI can be incorporated into government operations while addressing the need for responsible implementation and appropriate oversight.
Education is another area where AI integration is accelerating globally. Nations Are Turning Away From Chatbots to Embed AI Directly Into Their School Systems examines how governments are moving toward deeper integration of AI within education systems.
Bringing Brazilian Developers Together
Ahead of the commercial launch, OpenAI organized its first OpenAI para Devs roadshow in Brazil.
The event brought together 285 developers, startup engineers, founders, technical creators, and other builders across Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis, and São Paulo.
The sessions were delivered entirely in Portuguese and included technical presentations, live Codex demonstrations, workshops, and discussions with local partners.
The roadshow eventually led to the OpenAI Hackathon Brasil, where developers spent a full day in São Paulo building projects around Brazilian needs.
The winning team used Codex to develop a prototype designed to help micro and small businesses find public procurement opportunities.
The tool uses public data to match businesses with relevant opportunities and eligibility requirements. Entrepreneurs can describe their businesses by voice, while the platform maps nearby public-sector demand.
The project demonstrates how local developers can combine AI with existing public information to address practical problems.
Brazil’s Creative Side of AI
Brazil’s relationship with AI extends beyond business and technology.
The country has the highest rate of ChatGPT image use globally, according to OpenAI, and ranks among the five largest markets for voice and dictation. Weekly voice users in Brazil have doubled over the past year. That creative adoption has also attracted artists and creators.
OpenAI collaborated with Brazilian music icon Alcione, who experimented with ChatGPT Voice in a lighthearted conversation about relationships and love.
The company also hosted its first-ever Creators Day in São Paulo, bringing attention to how Brazilian creators are experimenting with AI in their work.
Visual artist Dell Nunes uses AI-generated art to represent Brazil’s diverse communities and urban peripheries, incorporating local cultural references into his work.
Other creators, including Paulo Aguiar and Thaís Martan, are exploring AI across text, images, video, music, and other forms of creative work while maintaining human direction.
What OpenAI’s Brazil Expansion Means
The launch of commercial operations in São Paulo represents more than the opening of a local office.
It signals OpenAI’s intention to work more closely with a country that is already using its technology at considerable scale.
Brazil’s entrepreneurs are experimenting with AI to run businesses. Developers are building new applications. Universities and researchers are exploring its scientific potential. Government institutions are considering public-sector applications, while artists are finding new creative possibilities.
The next challenge is turning that enthusiasm into sustainable value.
That means developing the skills to use AI effectively, building responsible systems, protecting human judgment, and creating products that solve real problems.
A Long-Term Investment in Brazil
OpenAI says its expansion is intended as a long-term commitment rather than a short-term commercial move.
The company wants to learn from how Brazilians use and develop AI while making its technology more accessible to organizations and individuals across the country.
If Brazil’s current adoption continues, the country could become an even more important testing ground for how AI affects businesses, research, education, healthcare, government, and creative industries.
For OpenAI, the message is clear: Brazil isn’t simply consuming AI technology. It is increasingly helping shape what comes next.
