Da University of Hawaii stay catching da big waves as dem get one $17 million grant fo’ building artificial intelligence (AI) using da wisdom of our Indigenous peoples. ???
Dis six-year kala gift from Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund is fo’ one international research project, “Abundant Intelligences: Expanding Artificial Intelligence Through Indigenous Knowledge Systems.” Eight universities and 12 Indigenous community-based organizations from Canada, da United States, and New Zealand going be led by Indigenous co-investigators and collaborators. ?️??
Dis one big step, braddahs and sistahs. Dis da first time evah dat government funding going really bring together dis network of Indigenous scholars and researchers. And we talking about da future of technology and Indigenous indigeneity, says Jason Leigh, one UH information and computer sciences professor, who also da Hawaii principal investigator fo’ da grant. ????
Students and faculty going work in “pods” where dey collaborate wit’ local members of Indigenous communities fo’ develop their AI. Pods from different places also going meet from time to time fo’ share their findings and ideas. ??️?
Da Hawaii pod, Leigh said, going get about seven to ten collaborators, and their work going be based at the UH West Oahu Create(x) digital emerging media lab. Da Hawaii pod still brainstorming ideas for their AI, but dey thinking about stuffs like agriculture or language translation technology, among other things, Leigh said. ???
“All these AI systems, most times dey trained on top Western knowledge, and dat kind leaves the Indigenous population and Indigenous knowledge out of the equation,” Leigh said. Da goal is fo’ have Indigenous communities train the AI so dat it has one more rounded understanding of da world and da work it commands. ???
Da Hawaii pod also planning fo’ explore data sovereignty in their work, and how Indigenous knowledge should be used and spread ethically, said Kamuela Enos, da director of the UH Office of Indigenous Knowledge & Innovation and one co-applicant of da grant. ?️?️⚖️
Enos said, “Indigenous knowledge is becoming more and more understood, and it’s incredibly valuable. We don’t want people to think that it’s free… So how we participate knowing that our knowledge in some way, shape or form, to these systems, is a commodity?” ???
Ideally, the project will give access to this knowledge without exploiting the Indigenous community it came from, Leigh explained.
In da end, both Enos and Leigh see the project as an opportunity for Indigenous communities to bettah understand and shape new science and technologies, enabling them to create tools that best reflect Indigenous communities’ needs, Enos said. ???
Enos said, “Realistically, the end users should be Indigenous communities. They should be using these tools that are created so that they can continue to live in Hawaii, or wherever their homes are, and thrive there.” ?️??
NOW IN ENGLISH
?? University of Hawaii Receives Significant Funding: Developing AI with Indigenous Insights ?
The University of Hawaii is riding a significant wave of success as it receives a $17 million grant for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) that incorporates indigenous wisdom. ???
This six-year grant comes from Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund and is meant for an international research project named, “Abundant Intelligences: Expanding Artificial Intelligence Through Indigenous Knowledge Systems.” Indigenous co-investigators and collaborators from eight universities and 12 Indigenous community-based organizations across Canada, the United States, and New Zealand will lead the project. ?️??
This is a monumental step, as it marks the first time that such government funding is rallying this network of Indigenous scholars and researchers. They’re coming together to discuss the future of technology and Indigenous identity, according to Jason Leigh, a professor of information and computer sciences at the University of Hawaii, who also serves as the Hawaii principal investigator for the grant. ????
The project will involve teams of students and faculty collaborating in “pods” with local members of Indigenous communities to develop their AI. These pods from various locations will also periodically convene to exchange their findings and ideas. ??️?
Leigh mentioned that the Hawaii pod will consist of about seven to ten collaborators. Their work will be based in the UH West Oahu Create(x) digital emerging media lab. While the Hawaii pod is still considering ideas for their AI, they’re exploring possibilities related to agriculture or language translation technology, among others. ???
“All these AI systems are predominantly trained based on Western knowledge, and that often leaves the Indigenous population and their knowledge out of the equation,” Leigh stated. The goal is to involve Indigenous communities in training the AI for a more comprehensive understanding of the world and the tasks it performs. ???
