Skip to content
About me

I am a citizen of the world who lived on four continents.

I have a career working as a humanitarian and as a sustainable development practitioner, most of it in the field. In the last years, I led ground-breaking work on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for social good, ethical complexities, and policy implications. This work informs my debut novel, Teaching Machines how to Cry.

I hold a PhD in Human Geography, and I now live in Portugal with my two sons.

© BH Photo

Inspiration

As I watch the waves…

come and go, come and go…while the rocks stay strong and anchored, I reflect on how we deal with emotions. We experience so many…, and each one, each time, is so unique, almost like waves are. And while we enjoy the smooth, playful waves, we try not to collapse when massive, strong ones crash on us. Then, I consider the way we teach AI human emotions, and I wonder:’What are we teaching AI…?’ 

© Paula Hidalgo-Sanchis

Professional background

KEY NOTE SPEAKER, PANELIST AND MODERATOR AT INTERNATIONAL FORUMS ADVOCATING FOR THE RESPONSIBLE USE OF AI AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR ALL: Conference on Complex Systems 2022, organized by the Complex Systems Society.// 2022 Innovations Dialogue, organized by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).// 12th ICT4D Conference, organized by Catholic Relief Services.// 2021 World Data Forum, organized by the UN Statistics Division and the Swiss Federal Statistical Office.// Big Data Forum in Trinidad and Tobago, organized by the United Nations in Trinidad and Tobago.// Berlin Summer Dialogue 2020, organized by the German Cooperation and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).// Data for Peace and Security Conference 2020, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.// Forum Media and Development (FOME) 2019, organized by a network of institutions and individuals in Germany.// 1st African Region Data Protection and Privacy International Conference, organized by the Data Protection Commission of Ghana and United Nations Global Pulse.// 11th ICT4D Conference, organized by Catholic Relief Services.// 5th International Partnership for Technology in Peacekeeping Conference, organized by the UN Partnership for Technology in Peacekeeping.// Data Science Africa 2019 in Addis Ababa, organized by Academic Institutes in Africa. European Development Days 2019, organized by the European Commission (EC).// Workshop on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), organized by UN ESCAP.// GSMA Mobile 360 Conference 2019, organized by the GSMA.// Artificial Intelligence for Good Summit 2018, organized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).// World Data Forum 2018, organized by the UN Statistics Division and the Statistics Authority UAE.// Challenges of our Era Summit, organized by NESTA.// European Development Days 2018, organized by the European Commission (EC).// 2017 International Symposium and Annual Conference of the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme, organized by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).// Conference on National Evaluation Capacities, organized by the Independent Evaluation Office and the Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS of the UN Development Programme.// Istanbul Innovation Days 2018, organized by the UN Development Programme.// European Development Days 2017, organized by the European Commission (EC).// Information and Communication Technologies for Evaluation (ICT4Eval) organized by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD).// World Data Forum 2017, organized by the UN Statistics Division and Statistics South Africa.//
Author and co-author: Hidalgo-Sanchis, P. “UNU Macau AI Conference, AI for All: Bridging Divides, Building a Sustainable Future. Policy directions distilled by UNU Macau. A contribution to the Summit of the Future”. United Nations University, 2024.// Hidalgo-Sanchis P, Meng W, and Nyamawe A.S. “UNU AI Conference for All: Bridging Divides, Building a Sustainable Future. Conference Proceedings report.” United Nations University, 2024.// Hidalgo-Sanchis, P. “Advancing Human Development with Artificial Intelligence: Experimental Work from Uganda”. Big Data in Human Development, edited by Ojanperä, López, & Graham, Oxford University Press, 2024.// Hidalgo-Sanchis, P. “Applications of digital data innovation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the humanitarian sector: Lessons from a UN Global Pulse pilot project”. Big Data and the Rule of Law, edited by Michael Bamberger and Frans Leeuw, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, 2024. Hidalgo-Sanchis P. Teaching Machines how To Cry. Hidalgo-Sanchis P, 2023.// Van der Westhuizen E, Ribeiro M, Jansen VVJ, Hidalgo-Sanchis P, Niesler T. Low-resource ASR-free Keyword Spotting Using Listen-and-confirm. 88–92. 10.21437/SIGUL.2023–19, 2023.// Hidalgo-Sanchis, P. UN Global Pulse, A UN Innovation initiative with a multiplier effect. Data Science for Social Good: Philanthropy and social impact in a complex word edited by Lapucci M and Cattuto C, SpringerBriefs in Complexity, 2021.// Hidalgo-Sanchis P. Experimenting with Big Data and AI to Support Peace and Security. United Nations Global Pulse, 2018.// Hidalgo-Sanchis, P. Opportunities for Big Data and Data Innovation for Evaluations. Examples from Uganda. People, planet and progress in the SDG era. Proceedings from the 2017 National Evaluation Capacities Conference. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2018.// Zufiria PJ, Pastor-Escuredo D, Úbeda-Medina L, Hernandez-Medina MA, Barriales-Valbuena I, Morales AJ, Jacques DC, Nkwambi W, Diop MB, Quinn J, Hidalgo-Sanchís P, Luengo-Oroz M. Identifying seasonal mobility profiles from anonymized and aggregated mobile phone data. Application in food security. PLoS One, 2018.// Hidalgo-Sanchis P, Quinn J. Using Machine Learning to Analyse Radio Content in Uganda: Opportunities for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Action. United Nations Globlal Pulse, 2017.// Hidalgo-Sanchis P. Vulnerabilidad Territorial: hacia una definición desde el contexto de la cooperación internacional. Anales de Geografía de la Universidad Complutense, Vol. 29, N. 2. Complutense University of Madrid, 2010.// Hidalgo-Sanchis P. Vulnerabilidad territorial y cooperación internacional (PhD Thesis). Complutense University of Madrid, 2009.// Hidalgo-Sanchis, P. Los niños de la calle en Managua, marginación y supervivencia en el espacio urbano. Anales de Geografía de la Universidad Complutense, N. 25. Complutense University of Madrid, 2005.// Dradri S, Hidalgo-Sanchis P, Josserand H, Morrison T, O’Dea J, Xie H. Special report: FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission to the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea, 2008. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FA) and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), 2008.// Breen J, Fanikiso M, Hidalgo-Sanchis P and Rukandema M. FAO/WFP Crop, Livestock, and Food Security Assessment Mission to Namibia 2009. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FA) and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), 2009. // Contributor: OCDE. Development Co-operation Report 2017. Data for development. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCDE), 2017.// UNDP. The Africa Data Revolution Report 2016. Highlighting developments in African data ecosystems. United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Development Research Centre of Canada, and World Wide Web Foundation, 2016.// Stuart E. The Data Revolution: Finding the Missing Millions Oversees Development Institute (ODI), 2015.// UNDP. The Caribbean Human Development Report 2012: Human Development and the Shift to Better Citizen Security. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2012.// Government of the Republic of Namibia and International Community. Post-Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) 2009. Government of Namibia, 2009.//