OpenAI Signs First Brazil Media Deal With Grupo Folha and Grupo UOL

More than 900 million weekly active ChatGPT users worldwide can now access summaries based on reporting from Folha de S.Paulo and UOL, under a strategic content partnership OpenAI announced with Grupo Folha and Grupo UOL. It is OpenAI's first media partnership in Brazil.

The deal is grounded in a broader effort by OpenAI to work collaboratively with news organizations around the world. The company has already signed publishers across multiple markets, including the United States, UK, France and Germany. OpenAI says its aim is to integrate trusted reporting into AI-powered experiences and bring journalism into ChatGPT in ways that emphasize attribution, transparency and links back to original sources.

The stakes are significant for both sides. AI platforms face persistent questions about how they source and credit news content, while publishers weigh whether licensing deals offset the risk of losing direct reader traffic. Brazil, one of ChatGPT's largest markets globally, now becomes a testing ground for that balance in Latin America's biggest media market.

What the Executives Said

"The interest of an artificial intelligence giant like OpenAI in displaying content produced by Folha de S.Paulo and UOL only reinforces the importance of professional journalism," said Sérgio Dávila, Editor-in-Chief of Folha de S.Paulo.

Varun Shetty, VP of Media Partnerships at OpenAI, framed the deal around content quality and local relevance. "Folha de S.Paulo and UOL are among Brazil's most relevant sources of original reporting. By making their journalism accessible in ChatGPT, we want to bring more useful, timely, and locally relevant answers to ChatGPT, while supporting the broader news ecosystem," Shetty said.

Carlos Ponce de Leon, Co-CEO of Folha de S.Paulo, positioned the partnership as a strategic bet on where the industry is heading. "AI will define the next era of the news industry and Folha wants to help shape that future. By partnering with OpenAI, we are putting Folha at the forefront of this transformation and creating new ways to expand the reach, relevance, and impact of trusted journalism," he said.

UOL's leadership struck a similar tone from the supply side of the equation. "AI platforms benefit from reliable sources for news. It is only natural that they partner with the creators of high-quality content for that," said Paulo Samia, CEO of UOL.

Murilo Garavello, UOL's Content Director, emphasized distribution reach. "We want our journalism in every environment Brazilians use—and that truthful information can be disseminated as widely as possible," Garavello said.

Brazil's Scale for ChatGPT

The market context explains OpenAI's interest. Brazil currently has more than 50 million monthly active ChatGPT users, with around 140 million messages exchanged per day, according to the announcement. That makes it one of the largest markets for the chatbot globally.

For Grupo Folha and Grupo UOL, the partnership creates opportunities to reach new global audiences through ChatGPT's summaries and attributed citations. For OpenAI, it adds Portuguese-language original reporting from two of the country's most established news organizations to the product.

Tools Beyond Distribution

The agreement covers more than content licensing. Grupo Folha and Grupo UOL will also gain access to Codex, ChatGPT Enterprise and OpenAI's API, according to the announcement.

The publishers plan to use those tools to explore new ways AI can support their journalism, develop products and features for readers, and enhance internal workflows and business operations. That component mirrors the structure of OpenAI's earlier publisher deals, which have typically paired content licensing with enterprise tooling access rather than cash-only agreements.

Why It Matters

The Brazil deal extends OpenAI's publisher partnership strategy into South America at a moment when the relationship between AI companies and news organizations remains contested in several markets. OpenAI continues to face litigation from publishers elsewhere, making voluntary licensing agreements a key part of its effort to show that collaboration with news organizations is viable at scale.

The announcement also signals that major non-English-language publishers see strategic value in reaching ChatGPT's user base directly rather than remaining outside it. As OpenAI expands its list of partner markets beyond the US and Europe, expect further deals in other high-growth regions where ChatGPT usage is strong and local publishers hold significant audience trust.