Brazil launched a national framework for Artificial Intelligence in Education

Brazilian Framework for the Responsible Use and Development of Artificial Intelligence in Education highlights national sovereignty in AI and the use of AI to strengthen inclusion and equity in education. Recommendations and policy guidelines are presented to higher education institutions related to teacher training, AI governance, use of AI in studies and research, and development of students’ AI skills. The document promotes the establishment of a comprehensive national RDI ecosystem for AI in Education.

In mid-March 2026, Brazilian Ministry of Education launched a national Framework for the Responsible Use and Development of Artificial Intelligence in Education. The framework aims to serve as a guiding tool for institutions, educators, managers and public policy makers. The over 200-page document brings together a wide range of guidelines from the national government and other Brazilian actors, international organizations, such as the European Commission, OECD, UNESCO, World Bank and G20, and from different peer countries, such as Australia, Chile, Denmark and United Kingdom, and it also refers to a great variety of recent Brazilian and international academic publications on the topic. The framework sets principles and recommends approaches and practices to promote responsible, ethical and socially committed integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in educational processes.

Following the spirit of the recently published national strategy for Science, technology and innovation, this framework also puts national sovereignty in the center; it highlights the importance of building Brazil’s own AI infrastructure and solutions. There is a call for an integrated approach across the different Brazilian actors to construct a national ecosystem that would strengthen the quality of public education and provide more ethical solutions committed to the Brazilian reality. According to the framework, AI should be used to support actions that strengthen inclusion and expand equity, instead of reproducing or deepening the structural inequalities historically observed in the Brazilian society, considering socioeconomic conditions, regional asymmetries, ethnicity, gender, and specific educational needs associated with different student profiles.

Recommendations for institutional guidelines and governance mechanisms

The document approaches the topic through opportunities and challenges related to AI in education and presents practical recommendations and policy guidelines aimed at all levels and actors in the Brazilian education system. For higher education institutions (HEIs) the document highlights the principles of equity, transparency, explainability, and inclusion. The AI should contribute to the strengthening of teaching quality, the integrity of scientific production, the social relevance of university extension, and the improvement of academic management, without prejudice to university autonomy and the values of public education.

The transformative potential of artificial intelligence in universities and graduate programs is recognized, for example, in its ability to support individualized learning paths, accelerate different stages of the research process and democratize the availability of advanced methods. However, the document presents severe concerns about the lack of regulatory frameworks in the Brazilian HEIs. According to a recent study of teachers and administrators at Brazilian public HEIs, 73.8% of respondents were not aware of any specific regulatory measures for the use of artificial intelligence in their institutions. In another study covering more than 150 Brazilian public and private HEIs, only 7 institutions reported having specific formal guidelines for the use of generative AI in the academic environment.

The recommendations include the establishment of institutional committees dedicated to AI, as well as strengthening of research and innovation ethics committees in this respect. Clear institutional guidelines should be defined, and governance mechanisms, continuous human supervision, and risk management should be adopted. What comes to scientific integrity and academic authorship, HEIs are requested to establish clear criteria for the legitimate use of AI in intellectual production, guided by the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability.

Students’ and teachers’ capacities and researchers’ responsibility in AI

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are recommended to define and develop the AI skills of their students and ensure equitable access across the institution to this learning and to the adequate technological infrastructure. Students should be prepared to interact with AI in a critical, responsible, and ethically oriented manner; AI should be  understood as a resource with significant potential, but subject to restrictions. It is essential to establish clear guidelines on authorship, the ethical use of tools, the attribution of credits, and the distinction between human contributions and automated support. HEIs should also review and improve their assessment practices to better value the learning process, the authentic application of knowledge and the development of critical thinking. The use of AI in higher education requires continuous human supervision, which will require also capacitation of the teaching staff.

Also, the development of initial and continuing teacher training practices is highlighted in the framework as a responsibility of HEIs, as future teachers need to be able to both use these technologies and approach them critically in the classroom. Training programs should be updated and expanded to introduce pedagogical approaches to the use of artificial intelligence, covering topics such as the personalization of learning paths, the development of research projects supported by educational data, and the use of interactive digital environments.

The framework highlights the responsibility of researchers to ensure the ethical coherence and technical suitability of the AI-supported methodological design to answer the research questions within the framework of their disciplines. This implies transparency and explicability of the application of AI in the research process. Also concerns regarding privacy and information security, especially when it involves personal or sensitive data, should be attended according to the laws for the protection of personal data and the right to privacy. The use of generative artificial intelligence in scientific writing is indeed recommended to be limited to auxiliary functions, preserving the researchers’ intellectual authorship and scientific responsibility.

Coordinated action to establish a national RDI ecosystem for AI in Education

In addition to HEIs, the framework lays responsibility to the national research funding agencies for guiding the application of AI in the research they fund. Currently there is lack of regulation and explicit guidelines in Brazil. The document presents an urgent need to develop a national strategy and regulatory frameworks aimed at data protection in AI applications in education and scientific research.

The framework also highlights the importance of the coordination across the different levels of education, and between the federal government, states and municipalities. In addition to higher education itself, the framework states that the HEIs’ strategic, guiding and advisory role should be strengthened in the formulation, implementation, and qualification of public policies aimed at integrating AI into Brazilian basic education.
Finally, the document promotes the creation of a national Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Ecosystem in AI in Education that would be capable to design, develop, and evaluate technological solutions responding to the specificities of the Brazilian educational system. Here the priority is to develop solutions in Portuguese that take into account the country’s cultural diversity. In this context, also the funding and establishment of interdisciplinary research groups and the development of projects focused on concrete educational challenges in Brazilian education is recommended. Also, strategic partnerships between universities, education technology companies, foundations and government, as well as instruments to support this collaboration are recommended.

The document also highlights the importance of developing national infrastructure, including data centers located in Brazil, and promoting open-source solutions, to avoid the risks of depending on foreign services for data storage and processing.

Johanna Kivimäki
johanna.kivimaki(at)gov.fi

More information: 

• Ministry of Education. (16.3.2026.) “Referencial de IA na Educação”
• Ministry of Education. (February 2026.) Framework for the development and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in Education.