Veritati
Repositório Institucional da Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Entradas recentes
Designing AI-enabled career coaching tools for women: an expert interview study
Publication . Fonolla, Sara Portell; Gaspar, Augusta D.; Correia, Luís; Pinto, Joana Carneiro
AI-enabled coaching is increasingly being introduced into career development, yet limited attention has been paid to how such tools should be designed for women’s career development, particularly in male-dominated contexts. This study explored which AI-enabled career coaching use cases experts consider relevant and feasible for women, and what contextual, design, risk, and governance requirements should guide their responsible development. Sixteen multidisciplinary experts from career development, coaching, organisational development, women’s health, AI coaching, AI ethics, and DEI participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Five themes were generated: integrated expert lenses and theoretical foundations; the biopsychosocial ecosystem of women’s careers; AI architecture and mechanics of intervention; the human-AI coaching dialectic; and ethical governance and agency risk. Experts supported AI-enabled coaching only conditionally, especially for bounded functions such as structured reflection, scoped psychoeducation, behavioural rehearsal, and action support. They cautioned against tools that reproduce androcentric career assumptions, individualise structural barriers, or substitute for human empathy, contextual judgement, and professional accountability. The study develops an expert-derived framework that sets out how AI-enabled career coaching tools for women should be designed, governed, and evaluated. The framework specifies requirements relating to conceptual alignment, ecosystem attunement, intervention mechanics, and agency-centred governance. It may serve both as a guide for future tool development and as an evaluative lens for assessing existing AI coaching and career-support tools. Future research should test these bounded use cases with women end-users across different career stages and work contexts.
Designing AI-enabled career coaching tools for women: an expert interview study
Publication . Portell-Fonolla, Sara; Gaspar, Augusta D.; Correia, Luís; Pinto, Joana Carneiro
AI-enabled coaching is increasingly used in career development, yet limited attention has been paid to how such tools should be designed for women, particularly in male-dominated contexts. This study examines which AI-enabled career coaching use cases experts consider appropriate and what design and governance conditions should guide their responsible development. Sixteen multidisciplinary experts across career development, coaching, organisational development, women’s health, AI coaching, AI ethics, and DEI participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: integrated expert lenses; the biopsychosocial context of women’s careers; AI intervention mechanics; the human–AI coaching relationship; and governance and agency risks. Experts supported AI use conditionally, primarily for bounded functions such as structured reflection, scoped psychoeducation, and behavioural support. They cautioned against reproducing androcentric assumptions, individualising structural barriers, and substituting for human empathy, contextual judgement, or professional accountability. The study proposes an agency-centred framework specifying requirements for conceptual alignment, ecosystem attunement, intervention design, and governance. These findings suggest that AI-enabled career coaching is most credible as a constrained, developmental support tool. Future research should examine these use cases with women end-users across career stages and contexts.
Artificial intelligence applications supporting women’s career development: a scoping review
Publication . Fonolla, Sara Portell; Fassi, Yasmina El; Gaspar, Augusta D.; Correia, Luís; Pinto, Joana Carneiro
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into career guidance and organisational decision systems, yet empirical evidence on applications designed to support women’s career development remains limited. Following PRISMA-ScR and a preregistered protocol, we searched 7 databases (plus backward and forward citation searching) and synthesised 13 empirical studies published between 2018 and 2025. Using inductive thematic analysis, we identified three functional domains: (a) bias mitigation and representation (e.g., auditing gendered language and platform-level disparities), (b) skills development and empowerment (e.g., AI-supported learning and writing interventions), and (c) career pathways and retention (e.g., matching and attrition-risk modelling). The evidence base was concentrated in system-facing applications that detect or shape inequities within recruitment, evaluation, and exposure systems; fewer studies evaluated individual-facing developmental support, and sustained career outcomes were rarely measured. Formal theory use was limited, with only a small minority of studies explicitly drawing on established frameworks; reporting on ethics, transparency, and governance was inconsistent. We suggest that research prioritises longitudinal and theory-informed evaluations, including intersectionality-informed analyses, and assess downstream impacts on women’s career trajectories alongside robust governance and accountability practices.
Is liturgy art? Post-secular hybridity in João Madureira’s Missa de Pentecostes
Publication . Teixeira, Alfredo
This article addresses recent critiques of secularisation as a linear explanatory model for religious change in European societies, proposing that contemporary artistic creation is a fertile site for observing new interrelations between the secular and the religious. Focusing on João Madureira’s Missa de Pentecostes (2010), composed for the ensemble ‘Sete Lágrimas’ and part of a cultural project by the Roman Catholic community of ‘Capela do Rato’ (Lisbon), the study analyses how this work creatively reconfigures the traditional Mass form. By juxtaposing the Ordinary sections (e.g., Kyrie, Gloria) with the Proper sections (e.g., Introitus, Sequentia), which incorporate non-canonical Portuguese poetic texts, the composition creates a hybrid space in which ritual and artistic modes interact and mutually re-legitimise each other. Using a heterological interpretative framework inspired by Michel de Certeau, the article highlights the tensions and exchanges between ritual and aesthetic logics. The analysis draws on key theoretical concepts including Jean Rancière’s notions of consensus and dissensus, Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of ritual and habitus, Paul Ricoeur’s philosophy of translation as hospitality, and Pierre Lévy’s concept of universalism without totality. The findings suggest that Madureira’s work enacts a process of poetic re-signification of religious memory, opening new possibilities for hybrid ritual–artistic practices. These practices transform ritual time-space into an interface that fosters plural and non-totalising forms of spiritual belonging.
Gut microbiota modulation by carboxymethyl cellulose and carrageenan: current evidence and health implications
Publication . Fernandes, Ana; Campos, Débora A.; Coscueta, Ezequiel R.; Pintado, Maria Manuela
The gut microbiota plays a central role in digestion, metabolism, immune regulation, and inflammatory processes, and is highly responsive to dietary factors, including food additives. With the increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods, growing attention has been directed toward the long-term effects of commonly used additives on gut health. This review examines the interactions between food additives and the gut microbiota, with a specific focus on the emulsifiers carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and carrageenan (CGN), which are widely used in processed foods. Evidence from in vitro, animal, and limited human studies indicates that both CMC and CGN can alter gut microbiota composition, disrupt intestinal barrier integrity, and promote pro-inflammatory responses, although their mechanisms of action differ. CGN has been more consistently associated with direct activation of inflammatory signalling pathways and epithelial stress, whereas CMC primarily induces microbiota-mediated effects, including altered microbial spatial organisation and mucus barrier disruption, leading to low-grade inflammation. The magnitude of these effects appears to depend on dosage, duration of exposure, and the experimental model employed. Overall, the findings summarised in this review suggest that chronic exposure to CMC and CGN may contribute to gut dysbiosis and increased inflammatory susceptibility, particularly within dietary patterns rich in ultra-processed foods. These observations highlight the need for harmonised research methodologies, more human-relevant long-term studies, and reconsideration of current food safety assessment frameworks to better account for microbiota-related outcomes.