Powered by proprietary data and inclusive language, Deb was created by black and indigenous experts to promote racial literacy in institutions

In the corporate environment, it is common to have doubts about how to conduct conversations and practices related to racial diversity: from the choice of words during a presentation to the drafting of institutional announcements, defining internal policies, and even conducting conversations after discrimination episodes. 

To support companies, schools and sports institutions in addressing these challenges, the Instituto Identidades do Brasil (ID_BR) developed Deb, the first Brazilian artificial intelligence designed to promote equality and inclusion by clarifying questions and concepts related to race.

Besides clarifying questions such as ‘Can I use the term mulatto?’ or ‘How does structural racism work?’, Deb also supports organisations in drawing up diversity policies, developing trainings and promoting an anti-racist culture. The idea is for it to be an ally in answering questions without judgment, 24 hours a day. 

‘’Very often, people want to be informed but don’t know exactly where to look for it. Or they’re even afraid of getting it wrong. Deb was designed to be a safe learning channel, embracing these doubts and transforming them into literacy,’ explains Luana Genot, ID_BR’s executive director.

Unlike traditional virtual assistants, ID_BR’s solution does not rely on a generic knowledge base. It was trained using data provided by black and indigenous experts from the institute, who fed the platform with information on history, culture, legislation and diversity, equity and inclusion practices. This ensures answers that are accurate, contextualized and reliable.

Diversity campaigns and indicators

With the possibility of integration into platforms such as WhatsApp, Slack, Teams and Google Classroom, Deb can also generate reports, track diversity indicators, monitor keywords and analyze the progress of internal initiatives, all under Brazil’s data protection law (LGPD).

Deb is already operating at Sabará Children’s Hospital, a paediatric reference in São Paulo, where it works as an assistant available 24 hours a day to assist more than a thousand employees. It is also part of the “Respeito Sim” campaign, acting in training centres, locker rooms, stadiums and even bathrooms in sports arenas as an educational and support channel, offering guidance and support to athletes and fans alike.

In the education sector, Deb is at the forefront of the program “Escolas Sim,” in partnership with the Education Departments in Rio de Janeiro, Ceará, Pará and Rio Grande do Sul. The initiative offers racial and digital literacy training to public school educators, aiming to have a positive impact on both teachers and students.

Since its launch in May 2024, Deb has exchanged more than 58,900 messages, has 17,400 followers on social media and recorded 4,600 individual conversations. 

A response to inequality

Deb’s development also carries historical significance. ID_BR often explains that if Brazil’s history was told as a five-day film, four of those days would be about slavery. This data helps us understand why it is still so rare to see black people in leadership positions, despite being the majority of the Brazilian population.

This inequality is not only a social problem, but also an economic one. According to a World Bank estimate, the exclusion of women and people from racialised groups from the workforce generates a loss of more than 160 trillion dollars in the global economy.

That is why Deb’s goals are ambitious. By 2026, the ‘Instituto Identidades do Brasil’ wants to impact 100,000 public school educators, benefiting around 2 million students.  

“Our goal is for Deb to become a milestone in the fight against racism in Brazil, just like Zé Gotinha was for vaccination. In this case, it’s about immunizing society against misinformation and prejudice. We want Deb to be remembered as the tool that helped build a more conscious, better-informed and, above all, fairer generation,” says Luana.

Want to support this cause?

Companies, schools and organizations interested in working with Deb to build more diverse and inclusive environments can follow @chamaadeb on social media. It is also possible to support the programs “Escolas Sim” and “Respeito Sim,” helping to bring racial and digital literacy to more people across Brazil.