OpenAI has launched commercial operations in Brazil with a local team based in São Paulo. The team will work with Brazilian businesses, developers, researchers and public institutions to help translate the country’s rapid AI adoption into economic growth and social benefits.
Scale of adoption and economic potential
Brazil is one of ChatGPT’s three largest markets by weekly active users. The number of users in the country has nearly doubled over the past year, and people in Brazil now send approximately 215 million messages to ChatGPT each day.
An independent study by RegLab, funded by OpenAI, estimates that AI could add nearly R$1 trillion to Brazil’s economy by 2030. Capturing that potential will require more than technology access: skills development, research, responsible deployment and close collaboration with Brazilian institutions are also necessary.
From experimentation to workplace use
New country-level data shows Brazilians are increasingly using AI in everyday work. In June 2026, 35% of classified messages from individual ChatGPT accounts in Brazil were work-related, compared with 30% globally. Of those work-related messages, 53% asked ChatGPT to complete a task or produce an output — from drafting proposals and analyzing information to writing code and creating marketing materials.
This trend is visible among entrepreneurs. Jewelry designer Lina Prades first used ChatGPT to create social media content, then expanded to advertising, pricing, inventory and production. Without a technical background, she built two management apps: one supports her daily operations, and the other could become a product for other jewelers.
At Tapioca da Ari, owner Ariane Santos uses ChatGPT to develop recipes, refine menus and communicate more consistently with customers, helping her food business become more organized and ready to scale.
Developer ecosystem and enterprise adoption
Brazil’s developer ecosystem is growing rapidly. By number of developers using the OpenAI API, Brazil ranks second globally, and it is Codex’s largest market in Latin America. Since the beginning of 2026, the number of weekly Codex users in Brazil has grown more than elevenfold, while daily interactions have increased nearly thirtyfold.
Adoption inside organizations is also accelerating: the number of ChatGPT Enterprise seats in Brazil has increased fivefold year over year, and Brazil ranks among OpenAI’s ten largest markets by number of business customers.
Local support and industry use cases
The São Paulo-based team will help Brazilian organizations identify high-value use cases, prepare their people, establish responsible governance and scale successful pilots. Many Brazilian companies are already using OpenAI technology across financial services, commerce, mobility, customer service, software development and internal operations.
Roadshow, hackathon and community engagement
In the week leading up to the launch, OpenAI ran its first OpenAI para Devs roadshow in Portuguese, visiting Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis and São Paulo. The program brought together 285 developers, startup engineers, founders, technical creators and other builders, and included technical talks, live Codex demonstrations, hands-on workshops and sessions with local partners Adapta and Brendi. The roadshow also provided direct feedback from developers about the tools and local support they need.
The roadshow culminated in the OpenAI Hackathon Brasil, a full-day event in São Paulo where developers used Codex to turn ideas into projects tailored to Brazilian needs. The winning team built a Codex-integrated prototype to help micro and small businesses navigate public procurement: it uses public data, allows entrepreneurs to describe their businesses by voice, matches profiles with relevant opportunities and eligibility requirements, and maps nearby public-sector demand — producing a practical product in a few hours.
Creative collaborations and cultural input
Brazil is not only adopting AI at scale but is also developing distinctive uses. The country has the world’s highest rate of ChatGPT Images use and ranks among the five largest markets for voice and dictation; weekly voice users in Brazil have doubled over the past year.
OpenAI collaborated with Alcione, a prominent Brazilian artist, who explored ChatGPT Voice in a playful conversation about love and relationships. The company also held its first-ever Creators Day in São Paulo to listen to creators and broaden access to tools and knowledge.
Local creators such as Dell Nunes, who uses AI to portray Brazil’s diverse urban peripheries, Paulo Aguiar, who works across text, images, video and music while keeping human creative direction central, and Thaís Martan, who plans to use ChatGPT Work during a catamaran journey, illustrate how Brazilian creators are actively shaping AI’s applications.
Long-term commitment
OpenAI says its work in Brazil is a two-way exchange: making technology more accessible while learning from Brazil’s cultural context and ideas. The company plans continued support for professionals, companies, researchers, academia and government through local programs, partnerships and training.
Launching commercial operations marks a new chapter for OpenAI in Brazil. The company emphasizes learning from how Brazilians uniquely use and build with AI while helping more organizations turn adoption into better products, stronger businesses, improved services and broader opportunity.
OpenAI also lists open positions in São Paulo on its careers page for those interested in joining the team.
