At International Seminar, Minister Aroldo Cedraz Highlights the Importance of Digital Literacy

The Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) opened, on on September 23, the International Seminar on Digital Inclusion, centered on the theme Meaningful Connectivity and Social Transformation. The event, held at the Serzedello Corrêa Capacity Development Institute auditorium in Brasília, was organized to broaden the dissemination of findings from the audit published in Court Decision No. 1699/2025 Full Court. The seminar was authorized by the Full Court of the TCU during the proceedings that assessed digital inclusion policies in Brazil.

The keynote lecture Connectivity and Citizenship in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, was delivered by Minister Aroldo Cedraz, the audit rapporteur and one of the initiators of the event. He emphasized the importance of connectivity as part of the country's technological infrastructure. According to him, inclusion in the digital world is essential for the full exercise of citizenship, ensuring access to information on rights, duties, and public services. Cedraz also addressed the role of digital literacy in enabling citizens to use artificial intelligence (AI) wisely and consciously. The lack of literacy may create a new category of excluded individuals: those who are connected, but do not understand the usefulness and power of AI, he warned.

Opening Ceremony

Minister Aroldo Cedraz shared his experience and insights on Digital Inclusion and Literacy in Artificial Intelligence. Joining him at the opening table were Minister Augusto Nardes, the Secretary of Telecommunications of the Ministry of Communications (MCom), Hermano Barros Tercius, and the Deputy Secretary-General for Government Audit of the TCU, Tânia Lopes.

In opening the seminar, Cedraz emphasized the transformative role of information technologies and the importance of bringing together experts from various sectors to debate and, consequently, contribute to the development of policies to combat digital exclusion. I am certain that the brilliant minds gathered here today are committed to this great national development, especially with the tools that can drive economic, technological, social, and educational progress, as well as advances in health and every area of knowledge, through what we call information technologies, he stated.

Minister Augusto Nardes, in turn, reinforced the role of the TCU as a partner of the federal government in the drafting and implementation of the National Digital Inclusion Plan (PNID). We want to work together. We are partners, said Nardes, signaling the Court's commitment to collaborating in overcoming the challenges of digital inclusion.

Tânia Lopes presented concerning data from the audit carried out by the TCU on digitally excluded populations. According to the report, around 20 million people in Brazil, approximately 10% of the population over 10 years old, have never accessed the internet. As the Citizens Court, we want to look at each one of these individuals and bring citizenship, accessibility, and the conditions they need to be empowered to transform their own lives, stated Tânia, stressing the urgency of actions to reverse this situation.

Hermano Barros highlighted the importance of investing in universal and meaningful connectivity, which goes beyond providing internet access to also include devices and training so that the population can make the most of the digital world. The MCom representative also stressed the complexity of the issue and the need for joint action with other government bodies. We realize that the wide range of issues related to digital inclusion has made it increasingly necessary to develop a joint, structured plan that simultaneously considers all existing policies in an integrated manner. That is what the National Digital Inclusion Plan is about, which is provided for by presidential decree. And, to this end, we have formally launched the interministerial working group, composed of the Ministry of Communications and the Office of the Chief of Staff, said the Secretary.

Thematic Panels

The first day of the Seminar featured panels that fostered debates on artificial intelligence, governance, and national strategies for digital inclusion, while also reflecting on the situation of the digitally excluded. In addition, the results of the audit conducted by the Court and voted by the Full Court in July of this year were presented. The event is being streamed on TCU's YouTube channel. The full lectures and debates from the first day can be accessed through the morning and afternoon session links.

The first panel of the event, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Inclusion, explored in depth the accessibility of AI for all. Representatives from different sectors brought complementary perspectives to the discussion, addressing the role of the Legislative Branch in combating digital exclusion, the Brazilian AI Plan, and federal government investments projected to reach BRL 23 billion by 2028, including BRL 1.2 billion earmarked for training initiatives.

The debate was moderated by Eric Hans, from TCU's Artificial Intelligence Unit. Panelists included Congressman Reginaldo Lopes, Vice-Chair of the Special Committee on AI of the Chamber of Deputies; Caroline Nascimento Pereira, Coordinator of the Digital Technologies Observatory at the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE); Júlia Santa Anna Mello, Co-Coordinator at AqualtuneLab and Alternate Member of the National Human Rights Council; and Marília Sturm, Public Sector Manager at Google Cloud.

The panel also examined the perspective of big tech companies on how the population interacts with technology and the challenges faced by minorities in using AI. One key point of discussion was the risk that AI tools may reproduce discriminatory biases, potentially deepening existing inequalities. The debate underscored the need for public policies and concrete actions to ensure that AI becomes an inclusive and accessible tool for all.

The second panel focused on Governance and National Strategies for Digital Inclusion. Moderated by Professor Márcio Iorio Aranha, from the University of Brasília (UnB), the discussion brought together Juliano Stanzani, Director of the Department of Sectoral Policy at the Ministry of Communications (MCom); Beatriz Vasconcellos, Deputy Head for Digital Transformation at the Secretariat for Coordination and Monitoring of the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Presidency of Brazil; Ana Dal Fabbro, General Coordinator for Technology and Innovation at the Ministry of Education; and Rafael Silveira e Silva, Legislative Consultant at the Federal Senate and Professor at the TCU's Serzedello Corrêa Institute (ISC) for Capacity Building. The panelists addressed the roles and challenges faced by each sector in ensuring that the population achieves universal connectivity.

The final panel of the first day addressed the theme The Challenges of the Digitally Excluded. The debate was moderated by Samuel Possebon, founder and editor-in-chief of TELETIME, who guided the discussion and posed questions to the panelists. The panel featured Graziela Castello, Coordinator for Sectoral Studies and Qualitative Methods at Cetic.br|NIC.br; Joyce Santos, Project Manager at Olabi for the Pretalab and Transborda 60+ initiatives; José Carlos Galiza, member of the National Coordination of Rural Black Quilombola Communities (Conaq); and Gabriela de Almeida Pereira, researcher on digital education for vulnerable groups at the University of Brasília (UnB). The group presented the obstacles faced by minority groups on the path toward universal connectivity.