Colombia continues to shine internationally, thanks to its young talents. Isabella Loaiza is one of them. Originally from Cali, the young Colombian is now a leading researcher in artificial intelligence (AI) at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, where she is helping to advance ground-breaking studies in this key field.
Isabella Loaiza, Colombian AI pioneer at MIT
In an interview with the Colombian newspaper El País, Loaiza expressed her gratitude for being part of the prestigious North American institution. “Being at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is an incredible privilege because I’ve had the opportunity to meet brilliant people,” she said.
A graduate in Business Administration and Logistics Production Management from Bogota’s Universidad del Rosario, Loaiza was first introduced to science and AI by one of her teachers. Determined to pursue a scientific career, she moved to the U.S.
“I started by looking for programs focused on complex systems science and began applying. I initially started a Ph.D. program at Northwestern University in Chicago, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied and decided to apply elsewhere, this time, to MIT,” she recalled. “They accepted me there, and I had to start from scratch with a Master’s degree and then continue with a Ph.D.”
Now working as a researcher at Sloan, MIT’s business school, Loaiza studies the impact of AI, particularly in the workplace. “I study how we can use AI to help more people find better jobs and enable them to be more productive. It’s about understanding how artificial intelligence can transform work for our benefit,” she explained.
Along with her team, Loaiza works to evaluate the potential impact of AI. In particular, they aim to provide guidance and insights into possible solutions to AI challenges to ensure that the ongoing technological revolution is seamlessly integrated into human societies in the U.S. and beyond.
“We focus not only on the labor market substitution that artificial intelligence might bring but also on the potential enhancement it can offer. To understand how this enhancement could happen, we need to examine which human skills can complement the technology,” she said.
“What we did was develop metrics to measure this. Our next step will be to study the temporal changes in these metrics within the U.S. economy. We’re not trying to predict specifics but rather to outline potential scenarios. We want to point out the direction technological change is heading.”
AI and Colombia
Although based in the U.S., Loaiza still places great importance on Colombia in her work.
“At MIT, we had a significant network of Colombians – around 50 people across various departments. It’s a great responsibility to represent Colombia and show that we have brilliant people here, individuals capable of contributing to civilization,” she said.
As such, Loaiza is also studying the impacts of AI in Colombia and Latin America.
“We are studying the impact of artificial intelligence in emerging countries like Colombia,” she said. “I think this is very important because it’s not just about understanding how AI will transform developed countries but also about understanding what will happen in emerging nations and the changes it could drive for their populations.”
The young Colombian also announced, “we have a project involving a workforce observatory in various countries worldwide, and we’re gathering data from Latin America to conduct this study in the region. We already have statistics from countries like Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil.”
Although lagging behind the U.S. in terms of connectivity and technological infrastructure, Colombia is already making strides in AI adoption. Recently, Colombia One interviewed Dr. Luis Eduardo Pino, a pioneer in AI research within the medical field, highlighting the growing influence of artificial intelligence in the region.