Indigenous researchers are racing against time to preserve endangered languages, with one dying every two weeks as its last speaker passes away. Michael Running Wolf, founder of Indigenous in AI, leads the First Languages AI Reality initiative, working to develop speech recognition models for over 200 Indigenous languages in North America. However, a significant challenge lies in the shortage of Indigenous computer scientists to carry out these projects. Indigenous people represent less than 0.005% of the U.S. tech workforce, and there are few Indigenous Ph.D.s in AI and computer science each year.
Organizations like Tech Natives and IndigiGenius are stepping in to fill the gap by training Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students in tech to preserve language and culture. Kyra Kaya, a Native Hawaiian computer science student at Yale, created an AI tool to honor her grandmother by recognizing Hawaiian Pidgin English, a stigmatized creole language. Similarly, IndigiGenius runs programs like the Lakota AI Code Camp, which brings Native teens together to develop apps documenting cultural heritage, and T3PD, which trains teachers to offer culturally relevant computer science education.
AI is also helping preserve other aspects of Indigenous culture. Madeline Gupta, a Chippewa student, is using virtual reality to reconnect Native youth with their ancestral lands, creating immersive experiences based on elders’ stories. Artists like Suzanne Kite are applying machine learning to Indigenous art, blending traditional knowledge with AI technology. While these projects are in their early stages, Running Wolf envisions a future where such initiatives are no longer needed, as Indigenous languages thrive and ethical technology is developed by Native communities.
Also read: New York Police Arrest Pro-Palestinian Protesters for Disrupting Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
