Brazilian leaders accelerate AI adoption more urgently than the global average, LinkedIn says

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming an essential skill for all professionals, especially for leaders.Data from a new survey conducted by LinkedIn, the largest professional social network in the world, show that, globally, the three times more c-level executives added AI-related skills such as prompt engineering and generative AI tools to their profiles compared to two years ago.

The movement takes place in a global scenario in which 88% of business leaders say accelerating AI adoption is a priority for their businesses in 2025. In Brazil, this sense of urgency is even more evident: the survey reveals that 74% of local leaders consider “to help the organization adapt to the changes caused by AI” as very important, given the 63% world average.

“Brazilian leaders are showing a pragmatic attitude towards technological transformation. There is a clear disposition for change, but also a critical awareness of the challenges, especially in the balance between innovation, sustainability and social impact. The path is still long, especially when we think about the inclusion of AI in the complex layers of the labor market and the socioeconomic structure itself in the country, but we already see a strong movement in many sectors”, he says Milton Beck, Managing Director, LinkedIn, Latin America and Africa.

Although global leaders have 1.2 More chance from adding AI skills to their LinkedIn profiles than professionals at other hierarchical levels, not everyone feels fully prepared to utilize the technology. Four out of ten C-level executives worldwide point to their own organizations as a challenge to AI adoption, citing factors such as lack of training, doubts about return on investment, and lack of structured change management strategies.

Changes in leadership and business impact

Globally, with the growing demand for AI literacy, technology is also beginning to influence recruitment practices: 8 in 10 leaders say they are more likely to hire candidates with mastery of AI tools, even if they have less traditional experience.

The Brazilian view on the transformation of AI work, however, is more critical. Only 11% of executives in Brazil strongly believe that AI will create more jobs than it will eliminate, half of the global average of 22%. Also highlights the skepticism regarding the balance between sustainability and financial performance 39% of Brazilian leaders strongly disagree that both go together, compared to 30% globally.

Empowerment to drive AI adoption

To support (as) 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 to use generative AI to make meetings, feedback and team management more efficient.

Methodology

C-suite AI literacy skills: Researchers from the LinkedIn Economic Graph analyzed the proportion of more than 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, the 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: 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 United States), working in companies with more than 1,000 employees. Fieldwork was conducted by YouGov between November 26 and December 13, 2024.