She built digital government for a decade. Now she researches what AI does to children.
Samia Firmino is a digital innovation specialist whose career has taken a deliberate arc: from scaling public services for millions of Brazilians, to understanding the specific, urgent risks that AI poses to the children growing up inside it.
CAREER NARRATIVE
2006 – 2018 | Ministry of Tourism, Brazil
Building from the ground up
Twelve years managing projects and leading technology governance for a federal ministry gave Samia an unusual foundation: she understands how institutions actually work, how decisions get made slowly, and how to move them faster.
2018 – 2022 | Ministry of Economy, Brazil
Digital transformation at scale
She helped digitize 139 federal public services in under two years as part of the initiative that put 1,500 digital public services online for Brazilian citizens. She shaped the user experience and communication strategy behind the GOV.BR platform and the Brazilian Digital Identity.
2022 – 2024 | Geneva Graduate Institute
The research that changed direction
At the Geneva Graduate Institute, she pursued an MA in International and Development Studies focused on AI, human rights, and child protection. Her thesis analyzed over 100 AI companion apps available to children on major app stores. The findings were stark: missing safety guardrails, sexualized personas, data collected under a promise of privacy. UNICEF Innocenti featured the research. The EDSAFE AI Alliance drew on it for policy.
2024 – Present
Research, speaking, advising
She has spoken at UNESCO Digital Learning Week and at Child Rights Coalition Asia, contributed to the EDSAFE AI Alliance task force report on AI companions in education, and conducted research for Business Fights Poverty on digital citizenship and online safety. She holds a Stanford certification in Ethics, Technology and Public Policy and a Project Management Professional credential from PMI.
Alongside her research, Samia continues to work in enterprise technology, where she sees firsthand how institutions navigate the shift to AI-powered systems.
“Children deserve innovation that protects their mental health, autonomy, and dignity. Their well-being is not a feature to be added later. It is the foundation everything else must be built on.”
— SAMIA FIRMINO
AI companion risk
Human rights and technology
Child online safety
AI governance frameworks
Ethical AI design
Vulnerable groups and AI
Digital policy
Government digital transformation
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Education
MA, International & Development Studies — Geneva Graduate Institute
BA, Language & Translation — Universidade de Brasília
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Certifications
Ethics, Technology and Public Policy — Stanford Online
Project Management Professional (PMP) — PMI
Explore the research
Samia's work spans AI companion risk, human rights frameworks, child protection policy, and ethical AI design. It is available to read, share, and build on.