“WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY: WHAT KIND OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DO WE WANT AND WHAT FOR.”
USUE MORI CARRASCAL, GLADYS AWARD 2025
- Researcher and professor Usue Mori Carrascal has received the Gladys Award 2025.
- The jury highlighted her career in steering artificial intelligence toward social well-being and knowledge transfer.
- Watch the interview video
San Sebastián, September 26, 2024. Usue Mori Carrascal (San Sebastián, 1987) has been announced as the winner of the 5th edition of the Gladys Award, receiving the prize from PUNTUEUS and the Faculty of Computer Science of the University of the Basque Country (EHU) at a ceremony held at the faculty.
In awarding the prize, the jury emphasized Mori’s work in promoting knowledge transfer: her projects strengthen the social perspective of artificial intelligence and turn research results into practice, so that society can benefit directly from them. Her work demonstrates that research does not have to remain solely within the academic sphere and that transformative technologies can be harnessed to serve society.
According to Usue Mori, artificial intelligence is here to stay, and “we should all have something to say: what kind of artificial intelligence we want and what for. We must not let artificial intelligence remain solely in the hands of big tech companies.”
With this goal in mind, Mori has been working on transferring AI into different areas of society. At the same time, the jury recognized her ability to foster participation and mobilize a broad sector of the population.
Career of the award winner
Usue Mori Carrascal is an associate professor at the Faculty of Computer Science of the UPV/EHU, in the Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, and since September 2024, she has also been the coordinator of the Artificial Intelligence degree program.
She holds a degree in Mathematics and several master’s degrees, including Mathematical Modeling, Intelligent Systems, and Teaching. She has been a university lecturer since 2015.
In addition to her extensive academic background, Mori made the bold decision to go beyond purely academic research. Her goal is not just to increase the number of scientific publications but to adapt artificial intelligence to the real needs of society and bring knowledge into practice.
Mori herself acknowledges that, until recently, her work was purely focused on research, without considering the potential social impact of that research. Now, her main concern is to ensure that her work produces tangible benefits for society.
An award with a gender perspective
The Gladys Award, now in its fifth edition, aims to recognize young Basque-speaking women working in the digital field, create role models for new generations, and give visibility to their work.
In this regard, the award winner shared some advice for young women who want to start a career in technology:
“I would tell them to do what they love, to enjoy it; to dare to be a bit bold and to never stay silent.”
The award is promoted by the PUNTUEUS Foundation and the Faculty of Computer Science of the UPV/EHU, with the main support of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.
It also counts on the collaboration of Emakunde, Danobatgroup, Euskaltel Foundation, EITB, and the EHU Equality Office.