

Helena Machado was guest speaker at the Doctoral Programme in Governance, Knowledge, and Innovation, Faculty of Economics and Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra (Portugal).
Her talk examined the power dynamics, myths, and narratives shaping the sociotechnical landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI), with a particular focus on how these issues intersect with facial recognition technologies. Helena examined the narratives and interests that shape AI’s development, the structural inequalities it reinforces, and the historical legacies it carries through the example of facial recognition technologies. Her call to action: rethink AI as a relational technology, amplify silenced voices, and explore hybrid methodologies — including creative writing and digital visual tools — to imagine more just AI futures.