AI Radar: Chip Wars and Threatened Professions — What Happened in the Last 24 Hours

The Geopolitical Chess Game of AI: US vs China

The technological war between the United States and China has gained a new chapter in the last 24 hours, with consequences that will affect the entire global technology market – including Brazil. Donald Trump announced measures to limit the sale of artificial intelligence chips to China, provoking an immediate reaction from Beijing, which classified the action as “blackmail”.

Nvidia, the dominant player in the AI chip market, has confirmed that it will restrict sales to Chinese companies, a decision that could impact its revenue by approximately US$5.5 billion. As an immediate consequence, American stock markets recorded significant falls, with the Dow Jones falling 1,73% and the Nasdaq falling 3,07%, according to Band report.

This movement is not only commercial, but strategic. Control over advanced semiconductors today represents one of the main instruments of power in the digital age. As analyzed by columnist Diogo Cortiz, from UOL, although the US leads in patents, China is rapidly strengthening its scientific output, raising fears in Washington about China's growing technological self-sufficiency.

Brazil needs to understand that it is facing a geopolitical dispute where control of AI technology will determine the economic and political influence of the coming decades. This is not just a trade war, but a dispute over who will define the rules of the global technology game.

The Alert About Professions at Risk

As geopolitics advances, in the professional field we have new warnings about the impact of AI on the job market. According to statements by investor Victor Lazarte, two professions are particularly threatened: lawyers and recruiters.

The warning is not just about complementing tasks, but about effective replacement. With the automation of repetitive tasks and the accelerated adoption of AI tools in these fields, there is a tendency for the demand for these professionals to decrease. The 2024 Thomson Reuters survey has already identified AI as the strategic priority in law firms.

In parallel, an article from JOTA mentions that internal auditors are also under threat, as pointed out in the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025. There is a clear indication that these professionals will need to reinvent themselves as “interpreters of uncertainty”, mastering technology, data analysis and human and ethical skills.

This reality reinforces what I have been observing for years in the innovation ecosystem: the urgent need for professional adaptation is not an option, but a question of survival in the market. In my mentoring work with professionals in career transition, I notice that those who develop what I call CACACA skills (Creativity and Autonomy; Collaboration and Adaptability; Connection and Affection) are those who are able to reposition themselves more successfully.

New AI Capabilities: Vision, Reasoning, and Creation

OpenAI continues to set new milestones in the evolution of artificial intelligence. The company announced advances in its technology with new versions capable of processing and reasoning about tasks involving images, a significant step towards building more intelligent AI systems, according to Terra report.

These new capabilities represent an evolution in the way AI systems interact with visual data, moving closer to human reasoning. In addition, OpenAI has released GPT-4.1, a model specifically aimed at developers, which stands out for its ability to process code and long contexts, according to the Brazilian Post Office.

In the field of content storage, ChatGPT also innovated by launching a library to store images generated by users, facilitating the viewing and editing of these creations, according to TechTudo.

This set of innovations demonstrates how generative AI is evolving in an integrated way, combining language processing, computer vision and content generation into increasingly sophisticated systems. For Brazilian companies, this means that the entry barrier for using these technologies is decreasing, while their capabilities increase exponentially.

AI Transforming Industries: From Music to Construction

Artificial intelligence is not only transforming professions, but also reshaping entire industries. A notable case is the music industry, where around 18% of the songs available on the Deezer platform are now generated by AI – almost double the number recorded just four months ago, according to CNN Brazil report. This raises growing concerns about copyright and fair compensation for artists, evidenced by the emergence of copyright infringement lawsuits.

In an example of positive impact, AI is being applied in the construction supply chain, managing to reduce up to 40% of CO2 emissions in works, according to published by Valor Econômico. The integration of sustainable data enables better environmental compliance, with a significant positive impact on business practices. A PwC report mentioned in the article predicts up to US$15.7 trillion in global value generated through AI by 2030.

The transformation of traditional industries by AI represents both risks and opportunities. In my consulting projects with Brazilian companies, I have seen that those that are able to identify AI applications to solve real and specific problems in their industries are those that reap the greatest benefits from this technological revolution.

Regulatory and Ethical Concerns

The rapid advancement of AI also raises crucial regulatory and ethical questions. In the United States, nearly 50 House Democrats have called on the Trump administration to halt the use of unauthorized AI systems, citing security and privacy concerns, as Terra report. The letter highlights the risks associated with AI-powered monitoring and its use by companies like Elon Musk’s xAI.

In the legal field, an author criticism in an article in Consultor Jurídico the influence of AI on judicial decisions, citing examples of manipulated precedents and the possibility of obsolescence of human legal reasoning, warning about the risk of a “society of dead jurists”.

Brazil is still moving slowly towards regulating AI, but we need to move forward with this discussion urgently. In various forums and debates on public policies in which I participate, I have defended the need for a regulatory framework that protects citizens without impeding innovation – a delicate but necessary balance.

Conclusion: Brazil in the Global Context of AI

The news of the last 24 hours clearly shows that we are in the midst of a profound transformation driven by artificial intelligence. The geopolitical competition for chips, the new capabilities of AI systems and the transformations in the job market are just some facets of this revolution.

For Brazil, this scenario represents both threats and opportunities. On the one hand, we run the risk of becoming even more technologically dependent and seeing jobs disappear. On the other hand, we have the chance to position ourselves strategically in niches where we can develop AI solutions adapted to our reality.

What determines which side we are on – those who just consume or those who also produce technology – are the decisions we make now, both at the individual and corporate and governmental levels.

In my mentoring work with startups and corporations, I have helped organizations develop practical strategies to incorporate AI into their businesses in a responsible and competitive way. It is possible to take advantage of this technological wave to solve real problems, generate value and, at the same time, prepare our professionals for the challenges that lie ahead.

AI is not just a technology, but a new paradigm that is redefining how we work, create and organize ourselves. Brazil has the talent and creativity to actively participate in this revolution – we just need the vision and courage to take the next steps.