OpenAI expands operations in Brazil as tech rivalry intensifies

OpenAI has officially expanded its commercial operations in Brazil, designating the country as its strategic headquarters for Latin America. This move comes as the Brazilian market reaches 50 million monthly active users, generating 215 million daily messages to ChatGPT—the highest volume globally for the platform. Brazil has also emerged as the world's second-largest hub for developers using the company's tools.

The expansion carries significant geopolitical weight as the United States and China compete for technological hegemony. While American firms like OpenAI strengthen their presence, Chinese ecosystems such as Alibaba’s Qwen and Moonshot AI’s Kimi are gaining traction among local developers due to open-source formats and lower implementation costs.

In response to potential U.S. government restrictions on exporting advanced models, OpenAI executives have engaged with the White House to facilitate international access. Meanwhile, the rapid adoption of AI in Latin America, projected to reach US$10 billion by the end of the year, presents new challenges for corporate governance. In Brazil, less than one-third of organizations currently use specific technologies to mitigate AI-related risks, particularly as the rise of Agentic AI introduces autonomous digital entities capable of making independent operational decisions.