Urgent Appeals for the International Day of the Global Indigenous Communities, 2025
In the digital age, the concept of data sovereignty for Indigenous Peoples in relation to Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gained significant importance. This movement emphasizes the right of Indigenous communities to control their data, including information about their lands, cultures, languages, and people, in the face of advancing AI technologies that often use their data without consent.
The journey of Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDS) began with concerns about cultural erasure, distortion, and ecological harm due to extractive practices connected to the AI and data center boom. Today, there is a growing recognition of the urgency to include Indigenous perspectives in AI governance and development.
Indigenous groups are actively working towards inclusion and protection of their rights in technology. They advocate for control over their data, ensuring AI systems require informed consent for use of Indigenous cultural and environmental data. They also develop AI tools for language revitalization, blend cultural sensitivity with technology to preserve endangered Indigenous languages, and lead data sovereignty initiatives that integrate Indigenous ecological knowledge with AI for climate justice.
These efforts aim to reshape AI development to respect Indigenous values, avoid exploitative extraction, and foster technological innovation that supports Indigenous cultural survival, governance, and environmental stewardship.
Indigenous Peoples hold solutions to today's greatest challenges, including climate change, ecocide, and biodiversity loss. However, they are often not consulted or given seats at decision-making tables. In 2023, 49% of murdered environmental or land defenders were Indigenous or Afro-descendants, and 41% of attacks against Indigenous Peoples were related to mining.
Organisations like Cultural Survival are working around the world to support the priorities of Indigenous Nations and communities. Their Indigenous Rights Radio offers radio programs and podcasts in English, Spanish, Quechua, and Nahuatl on the impacts of transition mineral mining.
It's crucial to note that Indigenous Traditional Knowledge systems are grounded in place, developed over many generations, and governed by traditional systems that respect all life and Mother Earth. Unfortunately, there have been 18 new cases of impacts on Indigenous Peoples and 77 across all years due to an unchecked acceleration in mining for transition minerals. Since 2010, 835 allegations of human rights abuses have been linked to the mineral extraction of transition minerals, including 77 linked to Indigenous Peoples' rights.
Artificial Intelligence is also being used for surveillance, and its biases and gaps in knowledge can lead to decisions that harm people. Every day, Indigenous leaders risk their lives to protect their territories from mining.
Today, on the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples (August 9), we reaffirm our commitment to supporting Indigenous Peoples in their quest for data sovereignty, inclusion, protection, and benefit from technology development.
References: 1. Indigenous Data Sovereignty 2. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles 3. AI and Indigenous Languages 4. Indigenous Data Sovereignty for Climate Justice 5. Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Self-determination
