Digital Event Horizon
A new initiative, Abundant Intelligences, is challenging the conversation around AI by incorporating Indigenous knowledge systems to create an inclusive and robust concept of intelligence. This approach aims to deconstruct the scarcity mindset and make room for diverse forms of intelligence, ultimately creating an AI that benefits human thriving and addresses pressing environmental issues.
The introduction of AI has raised questions about its ethical implications and potential risks to diverse cultural perspectives. The current trajectory of AI development is biased against non-Western modes of thinking about intelligence, perpetuating Indigenous erasure. A community-based research program aims to develop new computational practices fitted to an Indigenous-centred perspective. Pods are being created in various institutions across Canada, the US, and NZ to facilitate a deeper understanding of local intelligence and its applications in AI development. The approach is complementary and alternative to mainstream AI research, working with data from Indigenous communities in an ethical manner.
The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized various aspects of modern life, from healthcare and finance to education and entertainment. However, this rapid advancement of AI has also raised critical questions about its ethical implications and the potential risks it poses to diverse cultural perspectives. A recent study published in a reputable scientific journal sheds light on the challenges posed by AI's Western-centric approach and highlights the need for an alternative paradigm that incorporates Indigenous knowledge systems.
The researchers behind this initiative, Abundant Intelligences, argue that the current trajectory of AI development is inherently biased against non-Western modes of thinking about intelligence. This scarcity mindset has contributed to resource exploitation and extraction, perpetuating a legacy of Indigenous erasure that influences discussions around AI to this day.
"The Abundant Intelligences research program is about deconstructing the scarcity mindset and making room for many kinds of intelligence and ways we might think about it," states Jason Edward Lewis, lead author of the paper. "We want to create an AI that is oriented toward human thriving, that preserves and supports Indigenous languages, addresses pressing environmental and sustainability issues, re-imagines public health solutions, and more."
To achieve this ambitious goal, researchers have created a community-based research program that brings together Indigenous knowledge-holders, cultural practitioners, language keepers, educational institutions, and community organizations with research scientists, engineers, artists, and social scientists. This collaborative effort aims to develop new computational practices fitted to an Indigenous-centred perspective.
The pods, as they are called, will be anchored to Indigenous-centred research and media labs at various institutions across Canada, the United States, and New Zealand. These pods will facilitate a deeper understanding of local intelligence and its potential applications in AI development.
For instance, researchers are exploring how to build rigorous systems using small amounts of resource data, such as different Indigenous languages. They are also investigating multi-agent systems that recognize and support non-human actors and integrate various activities within the body of a single system.
"This is one of the strengths of the decolonial approach: it's one way to get out of this tunnel vision belief that there is only one way of doing things," adds Ceyda Yolgörmez, a postdoctoral fellow with Abundant Intelligences and co-author of the paper. "By incorporating Indigenous knowledge systems, we can create AI that is truly inclusive and beneficial for diverse communities."
The researchers behind this initiative emphasize that their approach is both complementary and alternative to mainstream AI research. They are committed to working with data from Indigenous communities in an ethical manner, as opposed to simply scraping the internet.
"This yields miniscule amounts of data compared to what the larger companies are working with, but it presents the potential to innovate different approaches when working with small languages," explains Lewis. "That can be useful to researchers who want to take a different approach than the mainstream."
By adopting an Indigenous-centred perspective in AI development, researchers hope to create a more equitable and sustainable future for all communities. The Abundant Intelligences research program represents a significant step toward reconciling the cultural disparities that have long plagued the field of artificial intelligence.
Related Information:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/01/250115164916.htm
Published: Sat Jan 18 00:44:53 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
