Forensic Anthropology, New Technologies, and Artificial Intelligence: An Ibero-Brazilian Collaboration

Abstract

São Paulo State University "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" - UNESP and the University of Alcalá - UAH signed an "Academic Collaboration Agreement" in December 2023 (document attached), coordinated at UNESP by Prof. Dr. Mônica da Costa Serra. She is a Full Professor at UNESP in Bioethics, Deontology, Legal Dentistry, Forensic Anthropology, and New Technologies in Human Identification, and the principal investigator of the present project. The Agreement, among other goals, aims to "promote joint actions to foster collaborative research."The present project, "Forensic Anthropology, New Technologies, and Artificial Intelligence: An Ibero-Brazilian Collaboration," aligns with and aims to strengthen the intended collaboration between both Institutions. This project aims to promote the engagement of UNESP researchers with partner researchers at UAH to:1. Qualitatively advance ongoing research projects.2. Collaborate on the development of medium- and long-term joint research projects for submission to FAPESP and European research funding agencies, led by the Spanish partners.It includes missions for the Brazilian team at UAH and for the Spanish team at UNESP, providing opportunities for the exchange of scientific experiences and the dissemination and sharing of knowledge through lectures, short courses, and/or seminars.Spanish researchers will contribute to the ongoing FAPESP-supported project, and Brazilian researchers will collaborate on research developed by the partner researcher.Forensic Anthropology and New Technologies have been a priority research area developed for decades by both teams and, more recently, with the inclusion of projects involving Artificial Intelligence.The missions to be carried out and the planned activities are expected to contribute not only to the ongoing research projects at both institutions but, above all, to strongly contribute to the development of new medium- and long-term joint research projects in the fields of Forensic Anthropology, New Technologies, and Artificial Intelligence.In addition to contributing to ongoing projects, the production and publication of scientific articles in indexed and impactful journals are expected.New Technologies applied to Forensic Anthropology and human identification and, currently, especially the use of Artificial Intelligence, are fundamental for the development of research. These, in turn, are expected to generate positive results that can be used in concrete forensic cases, assisting Justice and Society, thus fulfilling the social function of research. (AU)