Opportunity and Risk: Artificial Intelligence and Indian Country

Authors: Sean Dudley and Al Kuslikis,Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education

Opportunity and Risk: Artificial Intelligence and Indian Country examines how AI intersects with tribal priorities across health, education, language revitalization, and cultural preservation. Published in Tribal College Journal and written by Sean Dudley (Arizona State University) and Al Kuslikis (independent consultant), this article takes a balanced approach: it shows what AI can do for tribal communities while documenting exactly what goes wrong when tribes aren't involved in AI development.

The Indigenous Protocol and Artificial Intelligence (IPAI) working group's guidelines, which provide a framework for Indigenous-centered AI design. These seven principles cover locality, relationality, responsibility, governance from Indigenous protocols, recognition that all technology is cultural, ethical design, and data sovereignty. It also references AIHEC's Indigenous Evaluation Framework, showing how existing tribal frameworks for education can extend to AI.