Generative AI and Indigenous Data (Virtual)
The Australian Perspective
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About this event
What are the issues arising from the use of Indigenous data, art and materials by Generative AI?
The publication “Missing links in AI governance” released by UNESCO in April 2023 stated: “In an age where data has been dubbed ‘the new oil,’ questions about the impact of deployment of a wide range of technologies on Indigenous Peoples are of vital importance.”
- Indigenous peoples have the right to practise and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as …designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature. (Article 11)
- They also have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions. (Article 31)
Apart from the intellectual property (including copyright and confidential information) repercussions, the webinar highlights the cultural, heritage and spiritual implications of such a use. Regard must be given to cultural law and its operation within an Indigenous community, understanding how such Indigenous data, art and cultural materials are governed and under whose authority they can be accessed.
A critical challenge to our common future is posed by the effective contemporary deployment of AI for good, exposing many inequalities and excluding indigenous communities. The impact of AI systems on the indigenous communities is frequently overlooked, thus exacerbating systemic problems and inequalities. Pursuant the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007), and the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages, later that year the UNGA proclaimed the 2022-2032 to be the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL).Recognizing the ethical challenges that AI poses for individuals, societies, and the environment, including the use of data, in 2021 UNESCO introduced the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, making it the very first global normative instrument in the field of AI. With the arrival of generative AI, such open databases can be accessed by these systems and the data contained within utilised, once again, without the knowledge or consent of the First Nations’ communities whose data it is.
Our Panellists:
Jaco du Toit UNESCO Chief of Universal Access to Information Section, Communication and Information Sector.
Professor Natalie Stoianoff Director, Intellectual Property Program UTS
Dr Kirsten Thorpe UTS
Tui Raven Deakin University
Facilitator:
Anthony Wong, President IFIP and Past President ACS
Virtual Agenda: Tuesday 24 October 2023
Waiting room opens 5.45PM
Welcome & Introduction: 6.00PM
Panel Discussion: 6.05PM
Q&A Session: 7.15PM - 7.30PM
7.30PM: Event concludes
Speakers
He previously held the position of Programme Specialist, providing support to the UNESCO Information for All Programme and serving as regional adviser for UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector in Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and North Africa. He has an academic background in information sciences, political sciences, information for development, communication and telecommunication and media and international relations.
He has worked on projects related to knowledge society development, Right to Information laws, disabilities and Information and Communication Technologies and Information and Communication Technologies in Education.
Kirsten leads the Indigenous Archives and Data Stewardship Hub, which advocates for Indigenous rights in archives and data, and develops research and engagement in relation to refiguring libraries and archives to support the culturally appropriate ownership, management and ongoing preservation of Indigenous knowledges.
Kirsten is an invited member of the International Council on Archives Expert Group on Indigenous Matters, a co-founder of the Indigenous Archives Collective, and an elected member of the International Federation of Libraries (IFLA) Indigenous Matters Section (2023-2027).
Natalie's interdisciplinary research is concerned with new technologies including the legal, ethical and commercial aspects of biotechnology. She has published extensively on the patenting of living organisms, software and business methods, protecting traditional/Indigenous knowledge and culture, technology transfer and environmental taxation.
In 2021, Tui curated the art exhibition Collective Ground at AGWA, featuring works by Indigenous artists from Western Australia. This exhibition encouraged viewers to contemplate their relationship with Country (the land), especially during the pandemic when many transitioned from open spaces to confined ones. Collective Ground delved into the separation of works based on subject matter related to men's and women's Tjukurba/Tjukurpa, the creation period when ancestral beings shaped the world.
From 2020 to 2022, she played a crucial role in The First Inventors, a documentary series about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander innovations. Tui worked as a remote and on-Country advisor, associate producer and on-screen investigator. As an advisor, she collaborated with Elders and Traditional Owners to ensure that Indigenous knowledges were protected and ensured that the film crew adhered to culturally safe practices.
Currently, Tui is finalising the Guidelines for First Nations Collection Description, a joint project with the Australian Library and Information Association, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Council of Australian University Libraries and CAVL. These guidelines aim to update the description of First Nations materials, promoting inclusivity in collection management.
He is the President of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) www.ifip.org, headquartered in Austria, created under the auspices of UNESCO in 1960. IFIP is the leading international organization in Information & Communications Technologies and Sciences recognized by the United Nations.
Anthony is Adjunct Professor of the School of Information and Communication Technologies, Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science at Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak Campus.
He served two terms as President of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) from 2010-11 and 2016-17, and a past President of SEARCC - a confederation of IT and technology professional associations across the South East Asian economies.
Anthony served on the IT Industry Innovation Council for the Australian Government. He chaired the New South Wales Government ICT Advisory Panel and served on the New South Wales Government Digital Transformation Taskforce in Sydney, Australia.
He has also held senior management positions in multinational corporations and government, including as CIO of the Australian Tourist Commission during the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Anthony was awarded double Bachelor degrees in Computer Science and Law from Monash University, Master of Laws in Media, Communications and IT from University of New South Wales and a Master of Intellectual Property from UTS (University Technology Sydney), in Australia.
He is a regular international commentator and presenter on technology and legal issues, including on SkyNews, ABC, The Australian, and at various international forums, including the UN World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, the Internet Govern
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