The State and Artificial Intelligence: the Brazilian path and uses in Ceará

Abstract

This edited volume examines the relationship between the state and artificial intelligence in Brazil, with particular attention to the emergence and use of AI in the state of Ceará. Moving beyond approaches centred primarily on regulation, the book analyses the state as an active participant in the development, financing and implementation of AI technologies through its interactions with universities, research institutions and private companies. The contributions investigate Brazil’s Applied Research Centres in Artificial Intelligence, Ceará’s Chief Scientist Programme, and the adoption of AI in the state’s public security and judicial systems. Drawing on documentary research, interviews, public records, institutional portals, contracts and regulatory documents, the chapters identify an incipient but significant regional AI ecosystem. At the same time, they reveal limitations associated with insufficient strategic coordination and funding, technological dependency, the participation of foreign corporations, weak transparency and restricted public oversight. The studies also examine how AI applications intended to improve administrative efficiency and public services may reinforce surveillance, discriminatory practices and existing social inequalities. By approaching AI from a peripheral and dependent context, the volume contributes to debates on the political economy of digitalisation and highlights the importance of democratic participation, transparency and public accountability in the development and use of artificial intelligence.