Brazil Joins Global Digital Safety Network and Navigates Dual AI Regulatory Paths
Brazil enhances its global digital safety role by joining GOSRN and faces challenges balancing EU-inspired and China-led AI regulatory frameworks.
- • Brazil's ANPD became the first South American member of the Global Online Safety Regulators Network (GOSRN).
- • Brazil aligns its domestic AI legislation with the EU's stringent AI Act via Project of Law 2.338/2023.
- • Brazil signed the China-led World AI Cooperation Organization (Waico) agreement promoting flexible AI governance.
- • Experts warn of potential regulatory conflicts and diplomatic tensions due to Brazil's dual AI regulatory commitments.
Key details
Brazil has fortified its role in global digital governance by becoming the first South American member of the Global Online Safety Regulators Network (GOSRN), enhancing its participation in international digital rights discussions. The National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) joined GOSRN after a process initiated in November 2025, aiming to improve regulatory coherence and share best practices, especially regarding the Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents (ECA Digital).
Simultaneously, Brazil faces the complex task of balancing two differing international AI regulatory frameworks. Domestically, the Brazilian Congress is reviewing Project of Law 2.338/2023, which aligns with the European Union's AI Act by imposing strict rules on high-risk AI systems with defined risk classifications and compliance measures. At the same time, Brazil signed the founding agreement of the China-led World AI Cooperation Organization (Waico), emphasizing flexible cooperation and technological sovereignty with an outlook favoring Global South countries.
Experts express concerns that Brazil's dual approach might cause regulatory contradictions and strain its ties with the EU, which views Waico skeptically. Still, this positioning could allow Brazil to act as an intermediary between these major AI governance models. The challenge lies in harmonizing the stricter EU-inspired domestic legislation with Waico's voluntary international cooperation framework to avoid internal regulatory fragmentation and ensure consistent compliance for Brazilian entities.
The ANPD's GOSRN membership supports Brazil's ambitions to engage robustly in digital safety globally, while its involvement with both the EU framework and Waico reflects Brazil's strategic navigation amid competing AI governance paradigms.
This article was translated and synthesized from Brazilian sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
