Fabio Moreira
AI adoption in Brazilian marketing has grown quickly, but unevenly. According to the B2B Marketing Technology Maturity Index, 92% of companies intend to invest in AI applied to marketing in 2026; at the same time, 72% of Brazilian companies remain at beginner or experimental stages of AI adoption overall.
High Intent, Still-Low Maturity
The most direct data point about the priority AI occupies in Brazilian marketing comes from the IMTM: 92% of companies intend to invest in AI applied to marketing in 2026, compared with 81% in sales, according to TI Inside on July 15, 2026. The same study classified marketing maturity as “structured”, ahead of sales, still in “development”.
This investment optimism coexists with a more modest reality of overall maturity: according to research by Abiacom in partnership with Brazil Panels and business school Lideres.ai, 72% of Brazilian companies are still at beginner or experimental stages of AI adoption as a whole, as published by Exame on January 19, 2026. Interest is high; the structure to capture that interest has not yet caught up. This contrast helps explain why many CMOs are looking for a marketing decision engine that turns AI into applicable decisions.
The Barrier Few Teams Are Addressing
One of the most revealing findings from the IMTM is about what companies are not prioritizing: half of the surveyed organizations say they will not allocate resources to cleaning and organizing the data used by new technologies, even while planning to expand AI usage. It is a structural gap, because any AI layer applied to decision-making depends on the quality of the data that feeds it.
According to Alex Leite, director at Live University | Ibramerc, the absence of an ongoing enablement program causes AI, CRM and automation platforms to be underused, reducing return on investment, which helps explain the contrast between intent and maturity observed throughout the research. To understand how Nexus organizes this operational layer, see what the Nexus Platform is.
Where AI Is Already Changing Marketing
One of the fastest-moving trends in 2026 is the adoption of optimization strategies for generative AI search: according to research by 8D Hubify in partnership with PipeLovers, GEO, Generative Engine Optimization, adoption among Brazilian companies jumped from 8.9% in 2025 to 30.4% in strategies planned for 2026, the largest increase among all marketing priorities measured in the study.
This growth follows a broader shift: as buying decisions become influenced by generative AI systems, brands need to ensure presence both in traditional search engines and in AI-generated answers.
What This Means for Whoever Decides the 2026 Budget
The data suggests a specific window: the market has already decided to invest in AI, but most companies have not yet decided to invest in the data and process structure that makes that investment worthwhile. That is the role of a decision engine like Nexus, from Galaxies, which builds personas from the company’s own data: turning the already-approved AI budget into applicable marketing decisions, without depending on a complete data restructuring before getting started. To understand how this connects to financial return, also read synthetic personas ROI.
For teams still structuring marketing decision-making with AI, two practical uses already help reduce risk: validating campaign creatives before going live and answering the 7 CMO questions before approving a launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Brazilian companies intend to invest in AI for marketing in 2026?
92% of companies intend to invest in AI applied to marketing in 2026, according to the B2B Marketing Technology Maturity Index from Live University and Ibramerc, published by TI Inside.
Are Brazilian companies already mature in AI usage?
Not overall: 72% of Brazilian companies remain at beginner or experimental stages of AI adoption, according to research by Abiacom with Brazil Panels and Lideres.ai, even with high declared investment intent.
What is the biggest barrier to advanced AI use in marketing?
Lack of investment in data organization and quality: half of the companies planning to expand AI use in marketing do not intend to invest in data cleaning, according to the IMTM.
What is GEO and why is adoption growing so quickly in Brazil?
GEO, Generative Engine Optimization, is the optimization of brand presence in AI-generated answers. Adoption among Brazilian companies jumped from 8.9% to 30.4% from 2025 to 2026, the largest increase among the marketing priorities measured by 8D Hubify and PipeLovers.
Intent Is Not Maturity
The Brazilian market has already answered the question “are we going to invest in AI?”. The open question is whether it will invest in the foundation, organized data and structured process, that turns that intent into results. Teams that solve this first tend to capture the next cycle of competitive advantage before their competitors.
See how to apply AI to your decision operation, schedule a demo.
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