AI Radar: From Digital Inclusion to Disease Cures – What Happened in the Last 24 Hours

The race for digital inclusion in AI in Brazil gained a significant new chapter in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, on the global stage, ambitious declarations about curing diseases and geopolitical tensions show how artificial intelligence is at the center of the most profound transformations in society, whether for the good or for new challenges.

Brazil in the Race for AI Talent: The 1 Million Movement

Google has announced an ambitious commitment: to train 1 million Brazilians in artificial intelligence and cloud computing. The initiative, which offers free courses in Portuguese, represents an important milestone in the democratization of technology knowledge in the country.

This movement is not isolated. Along the same lines, Alura has teamed up with Google to launch a new edition of 'AI Immersion', another free training course for professionals from different areas and levels of knowledge. Both initiatives arise in response to a challenging scenario: according to the World Economic Forum, the demand for professionals with knowledge in AI and data will grow by 60% by 2027.

The most interesting thing about these initiatives is the recognition of a reality that I have been highlighting for years: many people do not invest in the field of AI because they consider it difficult or inaccessible. According to Patricia Florissi, technical director at Google Cloud, short courses are good options as an introduction to AI, even if this is not the person's final career.

This inclusive approach is essential. I have seen in my work with startups and entrepreneurs that basic knowledge of AI has become practically a fundamental skill, even for those who will not work directly on creating these systems.

The Global Race for AI: Ambitious Promises and Rising Tensions

On the global stage, as Brazil seeks to empower its population, the most ambitious statements continue to come from innovation centers. Demis Hassabis, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry and co-founder of Google DeepMind, stated in an interview with CBS News that he intends to cure all diseases with the help of artificial intelligence in just ten years.

Is this possible? Hassabis developed the AlphaFold2 AI model at DeepMind, which can predict the structures of nearly all of the 200 million proteins currently known. His vision is that AI will eventually be able to significantly speed up drug development.

While we see these revolutionary promises in healthcare, the use of AI in geopolitical contexts continues to generate controversy. Israel has developed new AI tools to gain an advantage in the war in Gaza, while China has launched a three-month campaign against the misuse of AI, focusing on removing unauthorized applications.

This contrast is revealing: while some countries are using AI to enhance their military capabilities, others are beginning to create regulatory frameworks to control its development. This duality will be with us for years to come – the same technology that promises to revolutionize medicine is also transforming geopolitics and power relations.

Tensions between the US and China Continue

The meeting between Nvidia executives and the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee highlights growing American concern about Huawei's advances in artificial intelligence. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang highlighted the strategic importance of AI as national infrastructure, signaling that the technology is already seen as a matter of national security.

We are witnessing the continuation of a technological race with profound implications for the global order. Brazil needs to define its strategic positioning in this new technological chess game: will we be just consumers of these technologies or also relevant players in their development?

AI in Brazil: Inspiring Use Cases

Amid these global transformations, news such as that of Emy, a Brazilian AI created by Cubos Academy and adopted by the Metropolitan University of Science and Technology (MUST), in Florida, shows that we can also be exporters of AI-based solutions.

Fully focused on education, this AI has the ability to monitor and answer students' questions 24 hours a day. It is a concrete example of how we can develop technologies that meet specific needs and that can have international relevance.

In the service sector, executives like Igor Senra, CEO of digital bank Cora, are already adopting a pragmatic stance: “It’s better to embrace AI than to pretend it doesn’t exist.” This phrase sums up a growing sentiment among business leaders: resistance to adopting emerging technologies can be fatal for companies.

In accounting, experts such as Roberto Dias Duarte point out that AI is already a reality in the day-to-day of many accounting firms. The question now is no longer if we should use AI, but as we can take advantage of its full potential.

Even in sports, artificial intelligence is proving to be revolutionary. In the run-up to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, AI has played a crucial role in identifying sporting talent, with Senegal using the technology to identify promising young athletes among 1,000 athletes.

What Can We Learn from the Panorama of the Last 24 Hours?

What strikes me most when analyzing the panorama of the last 24 hours is the clear division that is forming: on one side, those who are preparing for a world transformed by AI; on the other, those who still resist or do not understand the depth of these changes.

As Google’s Patricia Florissi put it, “If you start and then see that it doesn’t work, the learning is already valuable.” This mindset of experimentation and continuous learning is exactly what I have advocated in my talks and mentoring sessions.

The growing importance of AI in the market is creating a divide between those who know how to use the tool and those who don’t. And this is a divide that will have profound impacts on the future of careers and businesses.

The Time to Act is Now

If you haven’t started your AI learning journey yet, now is the time. Google and Alura’s free initiatives are valuable opportunities to get started.

In my WhatsApp groups about AI for Businesses and AI Creators, I have followed dozens of stories of entrepreneurs and professionals who started from scratch and today are already implementing AI solutions in their businesses and careers.

And if you’re an entrepreneur looking to understand how AI can transform your business, remember that this isn’t just a technical issue, it’s a strategic one. In my mentoring programs, I help entrepreneurs identify not only which AI tools to use, but how to integrate this knowledge into their company’s core strategy.

The Brazil We Want in the AI Era

Google’s commitment to train 1 million Brazilians in AI is significant, but we need to go further. We need to create an ecosystem where these new talents can thrive, developing solutions to Brazilian challenges.

We have inspiring cases like Emy's, but we need much more. We need public policies that foster innovation, openness to experimentation, and a regulatory environment that protects citizens without stifling innovation.

AI will be one of the main forces shaping the next decade, impacting everything from disease cures to global geopolitics. The question remains: what role does Brazil want to play in this future?

In my view, we have all the conditions to be protagonists, not mere spectators. We have talent, creativity and a significant domestic market. What we need now is a long-term strategic vision and the courage to execute it.

In my AI discussion groups and in the events I organize and participate in, I seek to foster exactly this type of strategic reflection. Because the future of AI in Brazil will be defined by the decisions we make today.