en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) has launched a new round of public consultation on artificial intelligence (AI) to update the regulator's diagnosis of the technology's adoption by operators and service providers. Counselor Edson Holanda has requested the technical department to initiate the process, gathering input from companies, experts, academic institutions, civil entities, and consumers to assess the impact of AI evolution on the sector and verify whether current regulatory principles remain adequate.
Holanda stated that this procedure is exploratory in nature and that the Regulatory Impact Analysis (AIR) has not closed the discussion on the topic. He believes that the principles are already in effect and that feedback is needed on how these principles are being implemented in daily operations.
Anatel emphasized that the context of this new public participation differs from when it first sought input on AI in 2024. Since then, generative AI tools have begun to be applied in areas such as customer service, data analysis, and network operations. Holanda noted that the last time the industry was consulted was in 2024, when generative AI was still in its infancy; now it is already engaging with consumers, and regulators cannot work based on an outdated profile.
In 2025, Anatel completed a Regulatory Impact Analysis on the application of AI in telecommunications. The study found no regulatory barriers to technology adoption and indicated that a principles-based approach should be followed, with continuous monitoring of technological evolution. Through this consultation, the agency aims to assess whether principles such as transparency, non-discrimination, and explainability remain sufficient to guide the use of AI in the sector.
Topics Anatel plans to discuss include: the application of generative AI in consumer service channels, the use of technology in autonomous network operations, risks related to algorithmic bias, data governance, impacts on small service providers, and the energy consumption and sustainability of digital infrastructure. This initiative should also help the agency identify issues specific to the telecommunications sector in discussions on future national AI legislation. Holanda added that Congress is drafting a general AI law, and the agency will not interfere with that debate but needs to clearly understand what truly falls within the telecommunications domain.
The feedback received from this consultation will lay the groundwork for a public inquiry. According to Anatel, this inquiry will be held within the year to deepen the discussion on the impact of AI in the telecommunications industry.
