Brazil's Government Accelerates Regulation of Artificial Intelligence and Big Techs in Congress

The Brazilian government is accelerating the voting of projects that regulate artificial intelligence (AI) and expand control over the economic power of large digital platforms. The initiative is part of the government’s digital sovereignty agenda and follows a campaign marked by controversies over the actions of technology platforms. The government believes that the episodes recorded during the elections can increase political support for regulation, despite resistance from sector companies.

The two main proposals concentrate the efforts of the Planalto: the Marco Legal da Inteligência Artificial, already approved by the Senate and under analysis in the Chamber of Deputies, and the project that expands the instruments of the Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (Cade) to face anticompetitive practices of big techs.

The Marco Legal da IA establishes obligations for companies that develop or use AI systems, including transparency rules, liability for damages, and protection of intellectual property rights. The proposal provides for sanctions that can reach R$ 50 million, in addition to the temporary or definitive suspension of systems and the prohibition of the use of certain databases in case of non-compliance with the rules.