Global survey reveals Brazil’s AI governance challenges, with CEOs wielding significant influence and tensions between tech leaders

A survey conducted by Thoughtworks in partnership with Censuswide from July 1 to 10, 2026, interviewed 3,200 technology directors across ten countries. The Brazilian segment, extracted from the Global CIO Survey 2026, found that 36% of respondents reported friction or unclear boundaries in the relationship between the IT director (CIO) and the executive responsible for artificial intelligence (CAIO)—the highest rate among all markets analyzed.

Brazil also recorded the highest levels of CEO influence over AI decisions (40% of CIOs cited the president as the primary influence) and business unit autonomy in controlling AI investments (26% said budgets were managed independently outside of IT). Another 21% reported shared management between IT and other departments.

Despite these challenges, 65% of Brazilian CIOs believe their organizations are well-prepared to govern AI consistently. This confidence is bolstered by executives’ visibility into AI tools: 91% said they closely or fully monitor systems adopted by business units, with 59% reporting complete visibility.

The CIO-CAIO relationship requires clear definitions

The creation of the CAIO role adds a new layer of responsibility to corporate structures. The study found that the identified friction is not limited to personal conflicts but also stems from a lack of clarity about each role’s responsibilities. Thoughtworks recommends that companies explicitly define responsibilities at every leadership level, from strategic direction to purchasing and operational decisions.

Retail, food, and leisure sectors see growing presence of CAIOs

When analyzing only respondents from these sectors, the numbers are even more striking: 86% view the CEO as the primary influence on AI decisions, 98% say their companies already have a CAIO, and 92% believe their organizations are well-prepared to govern the technology.

Methodology

The global survey was conducted by Censuswide in partnership with Thoughtworks, interviewing 3,200 technology directors across ten countries during the first ten days of July 2026. The Brazilian data is part of the Global CIO Survey 2026 report.