According to a new study by SAP, in partnership with Oxford Economics, many medium and large Brazilian companies are already seeing substantial returns on their investments in artificial intelligence (AI). The study, titled Value of AI, shows that Brazilian firms currently invest, on average, $14.2 million per year in AI, and are already achieving an average (ROI) of 16%.
The survey questioned a total of 1,600 executives across eight countries, including 200 business leaders in Brazil, and found that Brazil ranks among the most advanced markets in the global transition from experimentation with AI to delivering real business value.
Strong Confidence Despite Lower Absolute Spend
Although investment volumes in Brazil still lag compared to markets such as China ($42 million) and the United States ($37 million) per company, Brazilian firms are matching the global average ROI of 16%. In addition, 78% of the responding organizations expect positive returns within the next three years, signaling robust confidence in AI’s business impact.
Rui Botelho, President of SAP Brazil, said, “When high-quality data is combined with intelligent workflows, AI stops being an experiment and becomes a growth lever. Research shows that Brazilian companies are entering a new phase of digital maturity, where AI is no longer an experiment but a driver of growth.”
He added, “The results prove that when AI is integrated with quality data and intelligent workflows, the return is concrete and sustainable.”
Outlook: ROI and Adoption Expected to Double
The study forecasts that the current 16% ROI could nearly double to 31% by 2027, a figure that aligns with the global projected average. This would translate to roughly $5.8 million in return per company.
On the investment side, Brazilian firms plan to increase their annual AI spending by 36% over the next two years, a growth pace comparable to countries like Germany (37%) and the United Kingdom (40%).
Other notable projections:
- The share of corporate tasks supported by AI is expected to rise from 23% today to 40% by 2027.
- Nearly 70% of companies said AI is already effective in addressing their core business challenges, well above the global average of 59%.
The Next Frontier: Autonomous AI Agents
Looking forward, the adoption of autonomous AI agents is seen as the next big wave. In Brazil, 78% of executives believe such agents have high potential to transform corporate operations.
Companies expect an average additional ROI of 10% (about $ 3 million) from these agents within the next two years.
However, full readiness to scale autonomous-agent usage remains limited: just 1% of Brazilian companies say they are entirely prepared, compared with 5% globally. Meanwhile, 65% say they are partially ready (versus 54% globally).
Challenges: Data Maturity and AI Governance
Despite the promising numbers, many Brazilian organizations acknowledge hurdles remain. While 68% report being prepared to adopt AI solutions, concerns persist over data governance: 70% say they lack confidence in integrating data responsibly across internal departments, and 60% highlight similar difficulties when working with external partners.
Additionally, the use of shadow AI, AI tools adopted by employees without formal approval, is causing concern: 80% of companies say they are worried about it and 66% admit that such practices already occur with some frequency. This underlines the urgency for clear governance and ethical policies around AI usage.
What This Means for SAPInsiders
- AI is delivering real business value in Brazil. With an average ROI of 16% now and a projected 31% in two years, companies are gaining measurable returns comparable to global peers. This indicates there’s now a strong business case for embedding AI in core business processes (finance, operations, supply‑chain, etc.).
- Investment and adoption are set to accelerate. Annual AI spending is expected to rise by roughly one-third, while AI usage in corporate tasks could cover nearly 40% by 2027. For SAPinsiders now is the time to invest in readiness, data pipelines, architecture, and organizational capability.
- Governance and readiness remain critical bottlenecks. As firms look to scale with autonomous AI agents, many still face data-maturity and governance challenges — including “shadow AI” usage — underscoring the need for structured frameworks for responsible AI adoption. For SAP users, much of the framework for responsible AI adoption is already available within the ecosystem: SAP Master Data Governance, SAP Data Intelligence, and the SAP Business Technology Platform provide tools to enforce data quality, monitor usage, and embed governance directly into workflows, enabling companies to scale AI safely and consistently.
