Artificial Intelligence is becoming increasingly present in the daily operations of Brazilian companies. This is shown in the 16th edition of the ICT Companies survey, conducted by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Information and Coordination Center of the .BR Domain (NIC.br). The study reveals that the adoption of AI in companies grew from 13% in 2024 to 17% in 2025, reversing a trend observed since the indicator began to be measured in 2021.
This growth was observed in companies of different sizes. Among small companies (employing 10 to 49 people and representing 87% of the research's target population), the proportion increased from 10% in 2024 to 15% in 2025, signaling that this technology is no longer exclusive to those with larger structures. Among large companies (with more than 250 employees), there was an increase from 38% to 50% in the same period.
“The new results from the ICT Companies survey show a greater scale of AI solutions in the market, driven mainly by increased use among small businesses, although there is still much room for growth,” explains Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br | NIC.br.
Among the types of AI investigated by the research, natural language processing tools are leading this expansion. Among companies using AI, text mining and handwriting analysis advanced from 33% to 38%, while NLP (natural language generation, responsible for producing texts, automated responses, and communications) registered the largest growth: from 20% to 30% between 2024 and 2025. Sectors such as "accommodation" and "food," where the use of text mining tools increased from 13% to 51% during the period, and arts, culture, sports, and recreation services, which advanced from 14% to 40%, are among those that experienced the greatest growth in the adoption of this type of AI during the period.
“Currently, traditional digital solutions used by companies may include some application of AI, for example generative AI, especially in simplifying administrative processes and other internal activities. In this scenario, the observed increase in the use of this technology can be understood more as an adaptation of company processes than as a structural change in how they operate,” assesses Leonardo Melo Lins, coordinator of the study.
The way companies incorporate AI was also investigated by the research: 80% acquired software or systems, and 60% hired external suppliers to develop or adapt solutions. Among large companies, internal AI development jumped from 24% to 37%, indicating increasing technological capability.
Cloud and IoT
The research also reveals growth in connectivity infrastructure, which serves as an indispensable foundation for the adoption of advanced technologies, such as AI. By 2025, 35% of companies will have connections above 500 Mbps, a proportion that was 28% in 2024. Regarding fiber optic connections, by 2025, 93% of Brazilian companies will have this type of connection, compared to 87% in 2021. The growth is even more notable in sectors that are less connected according to the historical series of ICT Companies: in civil construction, the adoption of fiber optics increased by ten percentage points, rising from 51% in 2024 to 61% in 2025.
“This infrastructure enables advances in the adoption of new technologies. Without high-speed fiber optics, it is impossible to sustain “cloud processing” at scale, use IoT (Internet of Things) devices with real-time data collection, or run AI applications with adequate performance. The expansion of connectivity is therefore indispensable for digital transformation in organizations,” says Alexandre Barbosa.
Regarding the contracting of cloud services, the ICT Companies 2025 survey indicated stability in the most sophisticated applications: 36% of companies paid for cloud processing capacity in 2025, compared to 33% in 2024. The use of smart devices and IoT reaches 14% of Brazilian companies, with greater penetration among large companies (40%).
Companies' digital presence: WhatsApp, Telegram, and websites
Beyond infrastructure, digital presence is also consolidating in the corporate environment, bringing companies closer to communication channels already incorporated into their customers' routines. WhatsApp and Telegram, for example, continue to be used as one of the main business tools: 79% of Brazilian companies used these platforms in 2025, compared to 74% in 2024.
The data reveals one of the few exceptions where small businesses lead in the proportional adoption of a technology over other sizes, reflecting how instant communication has impacted customer relationships: 79% of small businesses, 75% of medium-sized businesses, and 74% of large businesses use these applications.
The use of CRM – customer relationship management systems – also increased: from 25% in 2024 to 31% in 2025, with a notable rise in small businesses (from 23% to 29%) and in the Southeast region (where usage increased from 24% to 32%).
"The data as a whole points to a specific digital transformation of Brazilian companies, which begins with the combination of quality connectivity, accessible tools, and technologies that support processes that are ancillary to the main activity," concludes Alexandre.
