Indigenous entrepreneurs use AI tools to combat online misinformation
Métis technologist Shani Gwin created an AI platform to detect inaccurate representations of Indigenous peoples in online content.
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Indigenous entrepreneurs are leveraging artificial intelligence to combat online misinformation and preserve cultural knowledge, addressing gaps in how Indigenous peoples are represented online.
Shani Gwin, a Métis entrepreneur from Edmonton, created wasikan kisewatisiwin ("kind electricity" in Cree), a technology company that developed an AI tool capable of detecting inaccurate representations of Indigenous peoples in written content. The project grew from Gwin's experience in government communications, where she found herself one of the only Indigenous people on her team and frequently tasked with reviewing Indigenous content for misinformation.
"A lot of our history online is from a colonized perspective. It's not validated by us," Gwin said. "I see this as an opportunity for us to share our truth, our history, that knowledge that we want to put in the tool."
Gwin partnered with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute to develop an in-house AI model trained by Indigenous elders and community members to detect domain-specific content spreading misinformation or racism. The tool can be used with companies' internal AI systems or as an add-on similar to Grammarly.
Other Indigenous technologists are exploring similar applications. Brian Ritchie, founder of Kama AI from Chapleau Cree First Nation, is creating ethical virtual agents for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Michael Sherbert, research associate with York University's Connected Minds and member of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation, serves as an ethical adviser for Kama AI's cultural chatbot project with Chapleau Cree First Nation. Sherbert stressed that education and honest conversations about data sovereignty must be at the forefront for projects to succeed.
By the numbers
Who created the AI tool to detect misinformation about Indigenous peoples?
Shani Gwin, a Métis entrepreneur from Edmonton, created wasikan kisewatisiwin, a technology company that developed an AI tool capable of detecting inaccurate representations of Indigenous peoples in written content.
Who trained the AI model to detect misinformation?
Indigenous elders and community members trained the in-house AI model developed through a partnership between Shani Gwin's company and the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute.
