Ana Valdivia is a Departmental Research Lecturer in AI, Government & Policy at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII). Ana investigates how datafication is transforming political, social and ecological worlds. Building on her experience as a mathematician and computer scientist, her interest lies in investigating power relationships in algorithmic governance and how AI is impacting on local communities, borders and territories. In her research, Ana aims to examine the eco-political impact of algorithmic systems by understanding its life cycle from natural resources extraction to electronic waste dumps and how it could jeopardise fundamental rights.
As a postdoctoral researcher at King’s College London (UK), Ana explored how datafication technologies are transforming borders and migration governance. She developed digital methodologies to unveil which algorithmic systems are used in the field of border security, such as biometric systems or maritime surveillance algorithms. Ana led a collaboration with magistrates in Spain to understand the impact of gender-based violence risk assessment tools in the judicial system, featured at the Montreal AI Ethics Institute. Her transdisciplinary research agenda stems from the ability to combine quantitative and qualitative methodologies and collaborate with scholars from a range of different disciplines, including political science, philosophy and law. In 2022, Ana was awarded with the Post-Doctoral Enrichment Award by The Alan Turing Institute. Ana is also a co-editor of the Big Data & Society journal.
In the past, she conducted research in transdisciplinary teams to design technological solutions in the private sector. She is a former fellow of the Data Science for Social Good program at the University of Chicago (USA). She is collaborating with international grassroots organisations such as AlgoRace or Tierra Común to raise awareness on how algorithmic harms impact racialised subjects. Ana collaborates with Post Apocalipsis Nau podcast, where she brings her critical perspective towards digital technologies to the general public. She also writes in the Jevon’s Paradox blog, where she examines power unbalances between science, technology and knowledge. Her work has been widely featured in international media outlets (Público, El País, El Salto, elDiario.es).
Algorithmic Governance, Critical Data Studies, Migration and Surveillance Technologies, Ecology and Politics of Algorithmic Systems
Areas of Interest for Doctoral Supervision
Artificial Intelligence and Social Justice, Fairness, Accountability and Transparency in Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing
This programme supports research on AI, Government and Policy.
El Confidencial, 17 April 2023
Since 2018, Social Security has used artificial intelligence to manage sick leave. An investigation by Lighthouse Reports and El Confidencial reveals the details of a predictive system about which there is hardly any information.
Algorithm Watch, 30 March 2023
Police in the Basque Country use an algorithm to predict gender-based violence. The tool's accuracy is unclear, and it leaves a lot of room for the personal opinions of police officers.
El País, 23 March 2023
The emergence of tools such as ChatGPT triggers warnings about a fivefold increase in global data center energy consumption
Integrating historical and cultural context with contemporary scholarship, this course equips students with the technical and conceptual tools to engage critically with machine learning research and practice.
