JuniorAI, a junior initiative formed by FCUP students, joins forces with the association “As Raparigas do Código” (The Girls of Code) in an event that aims to encourage the responsible use and creation of AI.
JuniorAI and the association “As Raparigas do Código” are organising the first edition of the AI4Equality Kernel – Where Code Meets Cause on 21 March, in Porto. The event brings together Artificial Intelligence (AI), ethics, and diversity, with the aim of engaging young people, companies, and organisations in the creation of fairer technology.
The initiative stems from the need to look at AI more critically. “As these systems increasingly influence decisions with a direct impact on people’s lives — in access to opportunities, in the information we consume, or in the services provided to us — it becomes inevitable to question who is building this technology, with what data, and for whom,” explains Mariana Fonseca, CEO of JuniorAI and a student at FCUP.
Discussion around the social impact of AI has become central in recent years. It is in this context that the AI4Equality Kernel emerges, aiming to promote knowledge and encourage a more conscious relationship between technology and society at a time when AI is already part of the present.
The programme focuses on two main themes: Gender Bias and Representation in AI, and Youth Empowerment and AI Literacy. Throughout the day, participants will be able to attend talks and demonstrations delivered by students and researchers in the field, and take part in workshops and a mini-hackathon.
“More than providing fixed answers, the goal of the AI4Equality Kernel is for participants to leave with new questions,” says Mariana Fonseca. “We want them to gain a clear understanding that technology is not neutral and that it can — and should — be designed responsibly,” she adds.
The event is aimed at students, young professionals, companies, and organisations interested in responsible AI.
Online registration has a symbolic cost of 7 euros, which will be used to purchase technological equipment to be donated to Associação Ecos Urbanos, a local organisation dedicated, among other things, to technological training for young people. There are 50 places available, to be filled according to criteria of gender parity, age, and thematic areas.
About the organising entities
The vision underpinning the event also reflects the mission of JuniorAI, the organisation responsible for the initiative. Created at the University of Porto, it is the first junior initiative dedicated exclusively to Artificial Intelligence. It combines technical skills, critical reflection, and civic participation, preparing a generation more aware of the impact of this technology.
To shape the AI4Equality Kernel, JuniorAI joined forces with the association “As Raparigas do Código”, in a partnership that reinforces a shared commitment to diversity and inclusion in technology.
The association, created by FCUP lecturer Miriam Santos, promotes digital inclusion and encourages the participation of girls and women in the technology sector. Since 2020, it has organised workshop series focused on developing digital skills, including learning programming. In 2021, it received the Portuguese Women in Tech Awards in the category Best Digital Inclusion Project Started by a Woman.
The collaboration between the two organisations is grounded in the conviction that technology is only truly transformative when built by diverse and inclusive teams. By combining the experience of “As Raparigas do Código” in promoting equality with JuniorAI’s work in applied AI, the AI4Equality Kernel gains a more representative dimension aligned with its central message: fairer technology begins with the people who imagine, develop, and question it.