AI and Indigenous lifeworlds: Rethinking how we might be able to create systems of Artificial Intelligence that nourish and support Indigenous lifeworlds through participatory design
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly, creating both opportunities and risks for Indigenous communities. This late-breaking work explores how participatory design might be rethought to support AI systems that align with and sustain Indigenous lifeworlds. While participatory design is often framed as democratic, it can reproduce power imbalances and overlook cultural and historical contexts. Similarly, AI systems frequently reinforce colonial structures through biased data practices, limited consent, and the exclusion of Indigenous epistemologies. Drawing on early discussions among Indigenous designers and computer scientists, alongside existing literature, we sketch an emerging vision of participatory design as a relational, community-led practice grounded in accountability, trust, and Indigenous governance. Rather than presenting a finalized framework, this contribution outlines initial tensions, possibilities, and open questions for using participatory design approaches to co-create AI systems that move beyond harm reduction and instead towards the design of such systems in a way that they align with and sustain Indigenous lifeworlds, while inviting further dialogue and collaboration within the ACM SIGCHI community.
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Reduced inequalities
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7214985405