# Paola Ricaurte Quijano

> Ecuadorian professor and researcher

**Wikidata**: [Q136432650](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q136432650)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/paola-ricaurte-quijano

## Summary
Paola Ricaurte Quijano is an Ecuadorian professor, researcher, and human rights defender. She is recognized for her work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, feminism, and decoloniality. In 2025, she was named to the TIME100 AI list for her contributions to the field.

## Biography
- **Born**: 1977, Bogotá
- **Nationality**: Ecuador, Colombia
- **Known for**: Research on feminism, decoloniality, and artificial intelligence.
- **Field(s)**: feminism, artificial intelligence, information science, machine learning, art, decoloniality

## Contributions
Paola Ricaurte Quijano is a researcher and human rights defender whose work focuses on the critical analysis of technology from feminist and decolonial perspectives. Her research explores the fields of artificial intelligence, information science, and machine learning, examining their social, political, and ethical implications.

While specific publications are not detailed in the provided material, her contributions lie in shaping the academic and public discourse around technology. She interrogates how AI and machine learning systems are developed and deployed, advocating for frameworks that prioritize human rights and social justice. Her work brings a critical lens from the Global South to conversations often dominated by Western technology companies and governments, challenging power structures embedded in digital infrastructures. As a human rights defender, she applies this critical research to advocate for a more equitable and just technological future.

## FAQs
### Q: Who is Paola Ricaurte Quijano?
A: Paola Ricaurte Quijano is an Ecuadorian professor, researcher, and human rights defender known for her work on the social and political impact of artificial intelligence, particularly from feminist and decolonial perspectives.

### Q: What is Paola Ricaurte Quijano's field of work?
A: Her work spans several fields, including feminism, artificial intelligence, information science, machine learning, art, and decoloniality. She focuses on the critical intersection of these disciplines.

### Q: Has Paola Ricaurte Quijano received any major awards?
A: Yes, she was named to the TIME100 AI list, a recognition of the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence.

## Why They Matter
Paola Ricaurte Quijano's significance lies in her role as a leading critical voice from the Global South in the field of artificial intelligence. At a time when AI development is dominated by a few powerful corporations and nations, her work introduces essential decolonial and feminist perspectives. She challenges the notion of technology as neutral, exposing how AI can perpetuate existing inequalities and colonial power dynamics.

By connecting AI and machine learning to human rights and decolonial theory, she has influenced a more critical and socially-conscious approach to technology studies. Her work encourages researchers, developers, and policymakers to consider the ethical implications of their work on marginalized communities worldwide. Without voices like hers, the global conversation on AI would lack a crucial analysis of its impact on justice, equity, and human rights, potentially leading to the reinforcement of systemic harm.

## Notable For
- **TIME100 AI Honoree**: Recognized by TIME as one of the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence.
- **Interdisciplinary Research**: Her work integrates feminism, decoloniality, art, and human rights with technical fields like AI and machine learning.
- **Critical Voice from the Global South**: Provides a crucial perspective on technology that challenges the dominant narratives from North America, Europe, and China.
- **Human Rights Advocacy**: Actively works as a human rights defender in the context of digital technologies and AI.
- **Multilingual Scholar**: Speaks, writes, or signs English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French.

## Body
### Personal Life and Background
Paola Ricaurte Quijano was born in Bogotá in 1977. She holds both Ecuadorian and Colombian citizenship. She is a polyglot, proficient in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French.

### Career and Research
Ricaurte is a university teacher, researcher, and human rights defender. Her academic and advocacy work is highly interdisciplinary, situated at the nexus of technology and social sciences.

Her primary fields of work include:
*   **Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning**: She critically examines the ethical and social dimensions of these technologies.
*   **Feminism and Decoloniality**: She applies these theoretical frameworks to analyze and critique power structures embedded in digital systems.
*   **Information Science**: Her research contributes to the understanding of how information is collected, classified, and disseminated in the digital age.
*   **Art**: She incorporates art as a field of inquiry and expression in her work on technology.

### Recognition
Her influence in the field of artificial intelligence was formally recognized when she was named to the TIME100 AI list. This award highlights her role as a key thinker shaping the future of AI.

## Schema Markup
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  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Paola Ricaurte Quijano",
  "jobTitle": "University Teacher",
  "description": "Ecuadorian professor and researcher known for her work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, feminism, and decoloniality.",
  "nationality": [
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      "name": "Colombia"
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  "birthDate": "1977",
  "birthPlace": {
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      "addressLocality": "Bogotá"
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  "gender": "Female",
  "givenName": "Paola",
  "familyName": "Ricaurte Quijano",
  "knowsLanguage": ["English", "Spanish", "Portuguese", "Italian", "French"],
  "knowsAbout": ["feminism", "artificial intelligence", "information science", "machine learning", "art", "decoloniality", "human rights"],
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## References

1. [Source](https://elpais.com/america/lideresas-de-latinoamerica/2024-10-16/paola-ricaurte-las-grandes-companias-tecnologicas-son-aliadas-de-gobiernos-autoritarios.html)
2. [Source](https://tecscience.tec.mx/es/humano-social/paola-ricaurte/)
3. [Source](https://time.com/collections/time100-ai-2025/)
4. Virtual International Authority File