The global technological landscape continues to evolve at an accelerated pace, bringing extraordinary opportunities and complex challenges for 2025. To avoid being left behind, many organizations worldwide have on their radar the importance of intelligent insights, testing diversity, and the ability to adapt quickly.
To assist managers in this process, CESAR, Brazil’s most comprehensive innovation and knowledge center, highlights seven key trends that will shape the corporate ecosystem and the digital environment—and consequently, our future.
Check them out.
#1 Agentic AI: The rise of autonomous digital workers
The next evolution of AI is fundamentally different from what we’ve seen before. The Agentic AI trend represents a significant leap beyond traditional chatbots and automated systems, bringing autonomous decision-making capabilities that promise to reshape how organizations operate.
While conventional AI tools follow predetermined scripts, Agentic AI systems can learn, reason, and act independently of defined parameters. By 2028, Gartner predicts that 15% of daily work decisions will be made autonomously by these systems.
Tasks that once required days of manual processing can now be completed in seconds, from complex customer account management to business operations. As this technology matures, we’re seeing the emergence of new roles like AI trainers and workflow orchestrators.
Moreover, the workplace of the future will likely be a hybrid environment where humans evolve from task executors to strategic orchestrators, managing teams of specialized AI agents. CESAR’s own Generative AI Lab (GenIAL) exemplifies this evolution. Established in 2023, GenIAL focuses on designing AI-driven business models, aiming to build a robust model training infrastructure and deliver targeted educational programs.
#2 Ambient Intelligence: The invisible technological revolution
The next wave of technological transformation isn’t just smart—it’s invisible and omnipresent. As we move toward 2025, Ambient Intelligence is weaving itself into the fabric of our cities and industries, with Brazil emerging as a significant innovation hub.
An initiative called Yes!Recife exemplifies how this trend can address urban challenges, using Design Thinking and collaborative workshops to tackle issues ranging from healthcare efficiency to real-time road maintenance.
The future lies in what one Brazilian investor calls an “AIoT First” approach—the powerful fusion of AI with the Internet of Things. This convergence is creating intelligent environments that respond transparently to human needs, from optimizing industrial operations to enhancing urban services, while prioritizing sustainability and quality of life.
#3 Quantum Computing: Exploring the future of high-performance technology
Quantum computing represents an imminent revolution in computational capabilities, promising to surpass the limits of traditional technologies with its ability to process information on an unimaginable scale and speed. This emerging technology has the potential to solve complex problems that are insurmountable for classical supercomputers, such as molecular simulations for drug discovery, optimization of global logistics systems, and advanced financial analysis for risk mitigation.
As quantum computing advances, it opens doors to creating quantum algorithms that can transform cryptography, artificial intelligence, and big data analysis, with significant impacts across virtually all industrial and research sectors. Academic institutions, tech companies, and governments worldwide are already investing billions to develop infrastructure supporting this next generation of computing.
#4 Critical infrastructure: The new frontline of cybersecurity
Critical infrastructure systems are facing unprecedented threats. Recent data shows that cyberattacks against these systems increased by 30% in just one year, with energy, transportation, and telecommunications sectors emerging as primary targets. As these systems become more digitally interconnected, their vulnerability to cyber threats grows exponentially.
The Integrated Center for Advanced Systems Security (CISSA), an Embrapii Competence Center in Cybersecurity, an initiative by Embrapii operated by CESAR, is leading the evolution of cybersecurity in Brazil. CISSA represents an innovative operational model focusing on four main fronts: identity and access management, data protection and privacy, cyber threat intelligence, and legal, ethical, and behavioral aspects.
This initiative comes at a crucial time, as Brazil’s dependence on foreign technology platforms has created significant security vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. The risk extends beyond individual systems. Recent disruptions highlight how reliance on solutions from major international tech companies can compromise national security and operational resilience.
#5 Building human-centered security
The evolution of cybersecurity must focus on its most critical—and vulnerable—component: humans. With 88% of data breaches attributed to human error, organizations are recognizing that technology alone isn’t enough. The challenge is particularly present among age groups, with younger employees about five times more likely to report security mistakes. Interestingly, time and experience prove valuable in cybersecurity.
While 32% of employees aged 31-40 clicked on phishing links, only eight percent of those over 51 reported falling for these scams. This suggests that life experience and strong professional networks help in detecting suspicious activities.
The way forward requires a multifaceted approach that includes integrating security into daily workflows, replacing traditional training with interactive learning experiences, and involving employees in security policy development. By treating security as a collaborative effort, organizations can build stronger defenses that leverage both human insight and innovation.
#6 Defense against disinformation: A new security frontier
Disinformation is intensifying in Latin America, with sophisticated “digital mercenaries” operating across the political spectrum to spread false narratives. These actors are increasingly skilled at bypassing social media platform security measures, creating a complex challenge that demands innovative solutions.
A collaborative investigation by media organizations from 14 Latin American countries exposed the scale of this threat, according to Foreign Policy. The research, coordinated by the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP), reveals how disinformation networks have successfully evaded both platform controls and government oversight.
As an example, Brazil’s Electoral Court demonstrated how rapid action can be effective, successfully countering false claims of electoral fraud within 24 hours of their appearance.
#7 Corporate security: Brazil’s financial sector under threat
The success story of fintechs in Brazil has created an unexpected challenge: unprecedented levels of financial cybercrime. With Pix processing over three billion transactions monthly—five times more than traditional card payments—the country’s digital financial infrastructure has become an attractive target for sophisticated attacks.
The statistics tell a compelling story: 44% of Brazilians maintain only digital accounts, making the market particularly vulnerable to browser-based threats. This vulnerability is driving strategic responses across the sector.
The $350 million acquisition of ClearSale by Experian in October 2024 signals a shift toward integrated fraud prevention solutions that combine transaction monitoring with account security.
