Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a powerful and rapidly changing tool that impacts various aspects of our lives. It pushes the boundaries of our imagination, but also raises serious questions about ethics and reproduction of existing biases (think about AI-generated art!). In a way, AI evokes the “trickster”, a popular figure in many Indigenous cultures that challenges what is moral, ethical and teaches humans important life lessons by using humour. Rather than thinking of AI as a doom bringer or ultimate savior, we invoke the trickster to think realistically about how these technologies could aid our quest for greater sovereignty.
In this time of change, how can Indigenous communities harness the power of AI to serve their needs? Can AI be a tool to preserve, protect and transmit Indigenous cultural and artistic practices?
Join us in this public conversation to hear how Indigenous creatives & artists are using AI to empower their communities.
Alicia Charles D’Avalon is a Black Taíno (Indigenous Jamaican) researcher and transition designer based in Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal, Canada. Alicia applies a decolonial, anti-racist, intersectional, and two-eyed seeing perspective to their work, with a focus on Indigenous methodologies. Their research interests focus on the Indigenous Caribbean, anthropology beyond the human, decoloniality, religion, gender, sexuality, sustainability and climate change. Alicia is also a performance artist passionate about combining creative practice with academic methodologies. They hold a BA in Religion and Culture from Concordia University, and has just completed an MA in Anthropology from McGill University.
Carling Sioui is Wendat, founder of Consultations O'yenhra', multidisciplinary artist and facilitator of Indigenous collaborations. Trained mainly in landscape architecture, Carling accompanies projects and conversations on Indigenous perspectives in urban environments. Some finished projects include toponymy of Atateken street, as well as the exhibition Still Here! Indigenous Peoples’ Voices in Montréal at the Centre des mémoires montréalaises.
Moderator:
Lynnsey Chartrand holds the role of Indigenous Projects Manager at Mila-Québec Artificial Intelligence Institute, where she is dedicated to weaving Indigenous Knowledges, talent, voices, and perspectives into the very fabric of the AI landscape through collaborative initiatives. Before joining Mila, Lynnsey played a key role in managing Indigenous programming and outreach at McGill University. With a robust six-year history in policy work within the innovation sector, she is deeply passionate about promoting equal opportunities across all sectors of the Canadian economic ecosystem. Lynnsey's academic foundation is in sociology. A mother of three young boys, Lynnsey was born and raised in Treaty 4 and proudly embraces her Red River Métis heritage through her father's family.
As a flagship program of Concordia University’s Office of Community Engagement, the public bilingual conversations are free and open to participants of all ages, backgrounds and levels of education. Since its inception in 2003, University of the Streets Café has hosted over 400 bilingual public conversations.