Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming an essential skill for all professionals, especially leaders. Data from a new survey conducted by LinkedIn, the world's largest professional social network, shows that globally, three times more C-level executives have added AI-related skills – such as prompt engineering and generative AI tools – to their profiles compared to two years ago.
This movement occurs within a global context where 88% of business leaders state that accelerating the adoption of AI is a priority for their businesses by 2025. In Brazil, this sense of urgency is even more evident: research reveals that 74% of local leaders consider "helping the organization adapt to the changes caused by AI" as very important, compared to 63% of the global average.
“ Brazilian leaders are showing a pragmatic stance towards technological transformation. There is a clear willingness to change, but also a critical awareness of the challenges, especially in balancing innovation, sustainability, and social impact. The road is still long, particularly when we consider the inclusion of AI in the complex layers of the labor market and the country's own socioeconomic structure, but we are already seeing strong movement in many sectors ,” says Milton Beck, General Director of LinkedIn for Latin America and Africa .
Although global leaders are 1.2 times more likely to add AI skills to their LinkedIn profiles than professionals at other hierarchical levels, not all feel fully prepared to use the technology. Four out of ten C-level executives worldwide cite their own organizations as a challenge to AI adoption, mentioning factors such as lack of training, doubts about return on investment, and the absence of structured change management strategies.
Changes in leadership and their impact on business.
Globally, with the growing demand for AI literacy, the technology is also beginning to influence recruitment practices: 8 out of 10 leaders say they are more likely to hire candidates who are proficient in AI tools, even if they have less traditional experience.
The Brazilian perspective on the transformation of work with AI, however, is more critical. Only 11% of executives in Brazil strongly believe that AI will create more jobs than it eliminates, half the global average of 22%. Skepticism regarding the balance between sustainability and financial performance is also noteworthy – 39% of Brazilian leaders strongly disagree that both go hand in hand, compared to 30% globally.
Capacity building to drive AI adoption
To support professionals in the adaptation process, LinkedIn and Microsoft are offering free artificial intelligence courses until December 31, 2025, with Portuguese subtitles and certification.
- AI for Organizational Leaders : aimed at empowering executives to make strategic decisions about the use of AI, assessing business impacts and driving growth.
- AI for Managers : focused on teaching managers how to use generative AI to make meetings, feedback, and team management more efficient.
Methodology
C-suite AI literacy skills: Researchers at LinkedIn Economic Graph analyzed the proportion of over 1 million senior leaders (vice presidents and C-level executives) from large companies (with more than 1,000 employees) in 16 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States) who listed at least one AI literacy-related skill in the respective year, comparing this group to the proportion of all other professionals who also listed at least one AI literacy skill in the same period.
Global C-suite Research: A global survey of 1,991 C-level executives (Chief Executive Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Revenue Officer, and Chief Technology Officer) in nine countries (Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States), working in companies with more than 1,000 employees. The fieldwork was conducted by YouGov between November 26 and December 13, 2024.
