How Brazilian CMOs Are Using AI in 2026: Adoption Data, Barriers, and Results
How Brazilian CMOs Are Using AI in 2026: Adoption Data, Barriers, and Results
AI adoption in Brazilian marketing has grown fast, but unevenly. According to the B2B Marketing Technology Maturity Index (IMTM), 92% of companies plan to invest in AI applied to marketing in 2026, while 72% of Brazilian companies remain at the beginner or experimental stage of AI adoption overall.
High Intent, Still Low Maturity
The most direct number on how much priority AI holds in Brazilian marketing comes from the IMTM: 92% of companies plan to invest in AI applied to marketing in 2026, against 81% in sales, according to TI Inside on 07/15/2026. The same survey classified marketing's maturity level as “structured,” ahead of sales, still in “development.”
That investment optimism sits alongside a more modest overall maturity picture: according to research by Abiacom in partnership with Brazil Panels and business school Lideres.ai, 72% of Brazilian companies are still at the beginner or experimental stage of AI adoption as a whole, as published by Exame on 01/19/2026. Interest is high, the structure to capture that interest hasn't caught up yet. That contrast helps explain why many CMOs look for a [Marketing Decision Engine] that turns AI into an applicable decision.
The Barrier Few Teams Are Addressing
One of the IMTM's most telling findings is about what companies aren't prioritizing: half of the organizations surveyed say they won't allocate resources to cleaning and organizing the data that feeds these new technologies, even while planning to expand AI use. That's a structural gap, because any AI layer applied to decision-making depends on the quality of the data feeding it.
According to Alex Leite, director at Live University | Ibramerc, the absence of an ongoing training program leaves AI, CRM, and automation platforms underused, reducing the return on those investments, which helps explain the contrast between intent and maturity seen in the rest of the research. To understand how Nexus organizes that operational layer, see What Is the Nexus Platform.
Where AI Is Already Changing Marketing
One of 2026's fastest-moving shifts is the adoption of optimization strategies for generative AI search: according to research by 8D Hubify in partnership with PipeLovers, adoption of GEO, Generative Engine Optimization, among Brazilian companies jumped from 8.9% in 2025 to 30.4% in strategies planned for 2026, the largest gain among all marketing priorities measured in the survey.
That growth tracks a broader shift: as purchase decisions become increasingly influenced by generative AI systems, brands need to secure presence in both traditional search engines and AI-generated answers.
What This Means for Whoever Owns the 2026 Budget
The data points to a specific window: the market has already decided to invest in AI, but most haven't yet decided to invest in the data and process structure that makes that investment pay off. That's the role of a decision engine like Nexus, built by Galaxies, which builds personas from a company's own data: turning already-approved AI budget into an applicable marketing decision, without depending on a full data overhaul before getting started. To see how this connects to financial return, also read [ROI of Synthetic Personas].
For teams still at the stage of structuring their AI-driven marketing decision, two practical uses already help reduce risk: [How to Validate Campaign Creative With AI Before It Airs] and answering [7 Questions Every CMO Should Answer Before Approving a Launch].
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Brazilian companies plan to invest in AI for marketing in 2026?
92% of companies plan to invest in AI applied to marketing in 2026, according to the B2B Marketing Technology Maturity Index (IMTM), from Live University and Ibramerc, published by TI Inside.
Are Brazilian companies already mature in AI use?
Not overall: 72% of Brazilian companies remain at the beginner or experimental stage of AI adoption, according to research by Abiacom with Brazil Panels and Lideres.ai, even with high declared investment intent.
What's 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 don't intend to invest in data cleanup, according to the IMTM.
What is GEO, and why is adoption growing so fast 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% between 2025 and 2026, the largest gain among the marketing priorities measured by 8D Hubify and PipeLovers.
Intent Is Not Maturity
The Brazilian market has already answered the question “should we invest in AI?” The open question is whether it will invest in the foundation, organized data, 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 do.