Advocacy Steps for the Global Indigenous Peoples Day, 2025
August 9 marks the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, a day that shines a light on the key issues and calls to action regarding Indigenous Peoples and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Key Issues
The use of AI presents several challenges for Indigenous communities. Bias and exclusion are prevalent, with AI systems often reflecting biases embedded in the data they are trained on, which frequently excludes or misrepresents Indigenous voices and knowledge. This marginalization and reinforcement of harmful stereotypes can lead to cultural appropriation and misuse, where Indigenous cultural data, stories, symbols, and ecological knowledge are extracted, commercialized, and decontextualized without consent.
Data sovereignty is another critical issue, with Indigenous Peoples asserting the right to govern, control, and protect data related to their cultures, lands, and bodies to prevent misuse and maintain respectful relationships with their knowledge. Indigenous communities, especially in rural areas, face barriers to accessing new technologies, which can widen inequities and limit their participation in the AI landscape. Furthermore, the construction and operation of AI data centers and the mining of critical minerals to support AI technologies threaten Indigenous lands and resources, including water supplies, sacred sites, and ecosystems.
Calls to Action
To address these challenges, several calls to action have been proposed. Indigenous Peoples must have an active role in shaping AI development, governance, and application to ensure technologies reflect their rights and perspectives. UN resolutions emphasize protecting human rights throughout AI’s lifecycle, including recognition of Indigenous data sovereignty as fundamental to avoiding perpetuating harm.
Promoting Indigenous-led AI projects that support cultural preservation, language revitalization, ecological protection, and climate adaptation is another call to action. These projects blend traditional knowledge with AI ethically and respectfully, offering solutions to today's greatest challenges, such as climate change, ecocide, and biodiversity loss.
Recognizing and mitigating the ecological and social impacts of AI infrastructures and mineral extraction in Indigenous territories is essential to protect their lands and resources. Closing the digital divide by increasing access to technology in Indigenous communities will empower them to use AI tools for their own cultural and environmental goals.
Positive AI Use by Indigenous Communities
Despite the challenges, there are examples of positive AI use by Indigenous communities. AI is being used to revitalize endangered Indigenous languages through AI-driven documentation and transcription. In ecological conservation projects, AI is being used to monitor coral reefs and adapt to climate change with Indigenous knowledge integration. AI-enabled climate modeling supports food security and environmental stewardship in Indigenous territories.
These reflections come from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and various Indigenous advocacy sources marking the 2025 International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples under the theme “Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures.” They highlight the imperative to balance AI’s risks with its promising opportunities by centering Indigenous rights, leadership, and innovation.
- The ethical application of technology, such as AI, should reflect Indigenous rights and perspectives, preventing the perpetuation of bias and marginalization within the indigenous communities.
- To achieve a sustainable future, it is crucial to support Indigenous-led AI projects that integrate traditional knowledge with cutting-edge technology, addressing critical issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecocide.
