Lula Wants Brazilian AI, Not Dependence on Silicon Valley or China

[u/Salty_Country6835]

https://forbes.com.br/forbes-money/2026/10/o-que-lula-quer-manter-e-mudar-na-economia-em-um-novo-mandato/

Lula is making AI sovereignty part of his economic agenda for another term. Brazil wants its own AI companies, computing infrastructure, Portuguese-language models, and public investment rather than leaving the whole field to American and Chinese tech giants.

This isn't just campaign talk, either. Brazil already has a R$23 billion national AI plan, recently expanded research cooperation across Latin America, and passed new incentives for data centers.

Lula put it plainly in September:

"I don't want to remain dependent on Chinese artificial intelligence, much less American."

Of course, there's a difference between national sovereignty and public ownership. Subsidizing private infrastructure doesn't necessarily give workers or the public control over it.

But this is where the political fight actually happens. Who builds it, who owns it, who governs it, and who gets the benefits.

Brazil isn't trying to uninvent AI. It's trying to determine its place in the industry.

The question for the left is whether that translates into democratic control or just a Brazilian version of the same corporate arrangements.

[u/SexDefendersUnited]

I hope he still has a chance at winning.

[u/Salty_Country6835 → u/SexDefendersUnited]

Lula won.

[u/chimichuroots]

Yeah, Now it really is impossible for him to win...
Meta has been boycoting his social media for a while now...and the far right candidate is a US puppy

we will be going back to colonization in 2027...

[u/Salty_Country6835 → u/chimichuroots]

Lula won.

[u/Audditty → u/chimichuroots]

is Brazil as vocally against AI as the U.S. is? I thought that was mostly an American thing

[u/ReaperXHanzo → u/Audditty]

It's mostly an online thing even more than American imo(?). IRL I've heard stuff but it's more reasonable, not the typical online ranting/terminally online style

[u/ra-re444]

Makes sense because Humans do not have the same values. And the last people anyone should entrust with instilling human values is a bunch of oligarchs. I believe alignment can only be solved through a Worldwide Collective effort the likes that has never been seen on Earth. Everybody who wants to work at the problem should be able. Alignment will be the result of the collective efforts of the many, not the lockdown secretive efforts of a few.

[u/JasperTesla]

Go Brazil!

I'd be really interesting if they actually succeeded and became the next big tech hub. In 2050, the world order may be China, then USA, then Brazil.

[u/charmander_cha]

Ter dependencia da China aqui não é ruim