KHIPUx Quito 2026: Democratizing AI in Bioimage & Medical Imaging marked the beginning of a timely and much-needed space in Latin America. At Diversa, together with the KHIPUx Quito organizing committee, we were proud to co-organize this three-day gathering at the Universidad Internacional del Ecuador (UIDE), bringing together researchers, technologists, activists, and academics to rethink AI development from within our region.

As part of the program, we had the privilege of organizing and moderating the panel “Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Justice, Equity, and Data Sovereignty in Latin America.” This session brought together leading voices including Andrés Domínguez Hernández, Catherine D’Ignazio, Cheryl Martens, and Ola Bini. Together, we engaged in a critical conversation on some of the most pressing challenges in AI today: from the rise of techno-fascism and tensions in AI governance, to the urgent need for more just infrastructures, stronger privacy protections, and the advancement of feminist, community-centered approaches to artificial intelligence.

Beyond the topics themselves, the panel created space for uncomfortable but necessary conversations. Addressing algorithmic bias, data sovereignty, and structural inequalities in technological development is not only an academic exercise; it is essential to imagining and building systems that genuinely reflect and respond to the social, cultural, and political realities of Latin America and the Global South. Spaces like this reaffirm a core belief that guides our work at Diversa: artificial intelligence cannot be approached as a purely technical field. It must be grounded, critical, and deeply committed to social justice.

KHIPUx Quito 2026 was also a collective effort. We extend our deep gratitude to Hernán Andrés Morales, , Paulina Vizcaíno, and everyone involved in the organization, as well as Khipu AI, Universidad Internacional del Ecuador, and Universidad de Las Américas (Ecuador) for making this gathering possible.We continue building community. We continue opening questions.