Protecting Indigenous Rights across Physical and Digital Ecosystems in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Utilizing case studies from what is currently called the United States of America, we explore strategies to protect Indigenous Rights across Physical and Digital Ecosystems in the age of Artificial Intelligence. This paper explores a broad cross-section of issues with which Indigenous Peoples and communities are currently contending as proliferation of AI abounds. We focus on the complex intersection of AI and Indigenous language revitalization efforts, and AI and public health data. We also examine the ways in which AI technologies are impacting Indigenous lands and natural resources. Finally, we show how the bolstering of protections for community held knowledge, including tribal data laws and digital privacy policies, offer a means of both mitigation and opportunity to engage on Indigenous Peoples’ terms.