AI From the South: artificial intelligence in Latin America through the sociotechnical imaginaries of Brazilian tech workers

This article explores the socio-technical imaginaries of Brazilian tech workers involved in artificial intelligence (AI) development, focusing on their views on Brazil’s role in the global AI market and the societal implications of AI in Latin America. Based on semi-structured interviews, the study addresses key challenges such as algorithmic bias, diversity and inclusion (DEI) in AI, and AI governance. The findings position Brazil’s complex role as a hub of AI development linked to extractive industries, challenging reductive narratives of the country as a mere data colony, while acknowledging its subordinate incorporation into the global market. It also exposes the disconnect between critical debates such as ‘decolonial AI’ and tech workers’ imaginaries, while highlighting the potential for workers’ collective agency to influence society’s regulation of AI.