This fall, the Abundant Intelligences’ Partnership traveled to and around Haudenosaunee Territory in southern Ontario for the Third Annual General Meeting. Around 80 travellers from across Canada, the United States, and Aotearoa/New Zealand participated in research sharing, cultural engagement, and collective imagining across 10 packed days of community-grounded events, panels, workshops, ceremonies, fireside chats, guided tours, coworking sessions, student research presentations, and more. The programming was grounded in Abundant Intelligences’ core values of regeneration, generosity and reciprocity, inviting the network to consider the challenges and opportunities of today while looking collectively towards the future of Indigenous-AI. 

A Relational-Grounded Approach 

“We argue that one major difference between Indigenous perspectives and those from Western worldview within much AI development is embedded is our emphasis on relationality—with each other and with non-humans.” – Jason Edward Lewis

Abundant Intelligences is formed in and through relationships between researchers, Elders, Knowledge-Keepers, language-holders, students, artists, teachers, scientists, etc. Taking care  of these relationships requires a collaborative, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial approach to our Partnerships. We need to co-create with one another rather than extract knowledge, ensure that the research reflects the interests of our communities, and work collaboratively rather than in isolation. Our relational approach allows us to welcome ways of knowing and being that non-relational frameworks often exclude. Relationality enriches us and our work. The annual AGM is a key element to our relational approach. It brings our members together to share research progress, create networking opportunities for students and early-career researchers, build cross-Pod and cross-network collaborations, plan research agendas for the next year, and engage with the hosting Pod’s communities.

Emerging and Future Research 

What does Indigenous-centred AI look like now and in the future? How can Abundant Intelligences’ researchers ensure that future AI systems will respond to their communities’ needs? And how will we build these systems together?

As a core component of the AGM, the network gathers to shape the research program’s overall vision and objectives, review and assess research progress, and determine research priorities for the upcoming year. The AGM also provides opportunities for research activities to happen in-person: through  research project symposiums and Future Imaginaries of Indigenous AI Workshops. This year’s research symposium featured students, Pods, and researchers presenting works in progress and finished projects from years one and two. The Future Imaginaries of Indigenous AI Workshop focussed on speculative designs of Indigenous-AI that will eventually become the prototypes for future technologies developed in the subsequent years. One of the Workshop organizers and Abundant Intelligences’ Postdoctoral Fellow, Ceyda Yolgormez, reflected on this year’s Future Imaginaries: 

“The Future Imaginaries workshop this year was a session that invited the Abundant Intelligences network to collectively imagine their future technologies. We asked “How would you present a technology you have developed within Abundant Intelligences to your community?” which allowed the participants to focus on their current projects they’re working on within the program, and to gear their thinking towards questions of community, accountability, and shared responsibility. The attendees wrote about their concerns, needs, what components they need to get their project off the ground, and what kinds of positive outcomes await them. We also gathered feedback from them to improve the future iterations.” – Ceyda Yolgormez

 

Community Engagement 

A significant portion of the AGM includes following and engaging with the local communities’ cultural practices and protocols. This year, AGM participants attended the 2RO Media Festival at Chiefswood Park in Six Nations, and engaged directly with the Haudenosaunee Pod’s community members, community partners, and collaborators: 2Ro Media, Thru The Red Door, Jukasa Studios, Woodland Cultural Centre, Santee Smith’s Studio, Crawford Lake, the Museum of Ontario Archeology, and more. These community partners and members include Indigenous Elders, Knowledge-Keepers, Storytellers, and creative practitioners who work closely with the Haudenosaunee Pod to share teachings, values and priorities of the local First Nations, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Oneida Nation of the Thames, and Munsee Delaware Nation, and the growing urban Indigenous community in Southern Ontario. The Haudenosaunee Pod’s close collaboration with these communities and individuals guides the Pod’s exploration and development of relational AI systems that offer new pathways for creativity, knowledge, and connection.

The Haudenosaunee Pod carefully curated the programming to provide opportunities to connect, collaborate, and learn across disciplines, experiences, cultures, and communities. Cultural activities, engaging workshops, and local tours nurtured dialogue and sparked innovative discussions. These Community engagement activities were anchored in the Haudenosaunee Pod’s shared vision: Indigenous Knowledge systems are essential for designing AI systems and technologies that embody care, reciprocity, and respect for the Earth and all its peoples.

“I was really grateful to be welcomed to Six Nations territory by Dr. Jackson 2bears and the wonderful members of the Haudenosaunee Pod. They (the Haudenosaunee Pod) worked tirelessly to ensure all visitors were extremely well cared for, while planning groundbreaking academic events such as the 2RO Media Festival, and site visits across Six Nations territory. Their exceptional efforts gave me the opportunity to build lasting friendships and engage in conversations with likeminded researchers. The AGM addressed my anxieties about the accelerated pace of evolving digital landscapes—it gave me a panoramic understanding of the global research agenda of the broader Abundant Intelligences network. For this, I am thankful for the time and efforts of the Abundant Intelligences staff (and of my own Pod members). I felt the panel presentations and talks were wonderfully organized, they provided a basis for invaluable, specific, and tangible discussions about Indigenous data futurities.” – Nayan Velaaskar, Niitsitapi Pod

“Being able to gather together has been a unique experience for me. The first time we gathered in Aotearoa (New Zealand) changed my perspective on the future of Indigenous cultures. The Māori showed us a strong Indigenous culture that had survived for generations. They showed us how their language and traditions were brought forward in their everyday lives. The conversation with Linda Tuhiwai Smith changed my viewpoint on decolonization. I used to avoid the conversation because it would generate a negative response, but Linda gave me a voice for expressing my thoughts on it and how it could be changed into a positive practice. I created the concept for Root Stories and Napi A.I. from the seeds of knowledge she gave me that day. I will be forever grateful for the experience the Māori Pod gifted us and continue to build on the knowledge I gained from it. The first gathering gave me the opportunity to make connections with not only the Māori Pod but also many others from Abundant intelligences and their Indigenous allies. These relationships I carried into the new year with me, and was able to rekindle at the most recent AGM with the Haudenosaunee Pod. This experience was different from the first because it was like coming to a large family gathering and getting to see your distant relatives to share your experiences from the past year. The Haudenosaunee Pod welcomed us to their territory and provided us with a space to share our thoughts, experiences, and future aspirations. I was able to join this past year with new attendees from the Niitsitapi Pod which gave me an opportunity to introduce them to the family and encourage their engagement with the other Pods. From my perspective, the AGM gatherings have become irreplaceable experiences as we – the Niitsitapi Pod and I – have gained knowledge, friendships, and pride in our Indigenous communities.” – Darby Herman, Niitsitapi Pod

Cross-network Collaborations

The Annual General Meeting also provides Abundant Intelligences participants with the opportunity to engage in collaborative sessions and interdisciplinary and cultural activities that foster cross-network collaborations. Meeting face to face creates opportunities for researchers to share best-practices, discuss shared challenges, and identify common research interests. Since Abundant Intelligences is dispersed across time and space, chances to meet in-person are few and especially valuable as they allow researchers to connect with individuals and information that would otherwise be largely inaccessible. 

“For me, the experience of attending the AGM allowed me to put faces to names, and begin to understand the people behind this project. It meant so much more than just reading the papers and the Slack posts. I had a sense of what Blair said today — until we really interacted with each other and with some of the places that the other Pods are situated in, and heard everyone speaking their languages, the meaning was just superficial.  Somehow we made lifelong connections in just a few days. It’s hard to put words to all of this (and I’m not good with feelings in the first place) but this experience was entirely different than any other research conference or gathering I’ve been to — it was research, and learning, and feeling all combined into one experience.” – Jackie Rice, Niitsitapi Pod

“I have been engaging with Abundant Intelligences Pods through readings, Zoom meetings, and Slack updates for months, but meeting everyone face-to-face changed my sense of the network entirely. Gathering in-person offered a richness that simply can’t be replicated online. Sharing meals, stories, and those moments of quiet conversation created space for ideas to move in unexpected directions. Hearing people speak in their own rhythms, watching how conversations unfolded naturally in hallways or around tables, and being welcomed into the places and relationships that shape this work, for me, helped everything click. I often feel most comfortable taking on the role of an observer during gatherings but, sitting in the same room and feeling the energy of collective intention (while still holding diverse perspectives) made me feel more connected, more grounded, and ultimately encouraged me to participate more actively. I’m grateful for the experience.” – Michelle Sylvestre, Niitsitapi Pod

This fall, the Abundant Intelligences’ Partnership traveled to and around Haudenosaunee Territory in southern Ontario for the Third Annual General Meeting. Around 80 travellers from across Canada, the United States, and Aotearoa/New Zealand participated in research sharing, cultural engagement, and collective imagining across 10 packed days of community-grounded events, panels, workshops, ceremonies, fireside chats, guided tours, coworking sessions, student research presentations, and more. The programming was grounded in Abundant Intelligences’ core values of regeneration, generosity and reciprocity, inviting the network to consider the challenges and opportunities of today while looking collectively towards the future of Indigenous-AI. 

A Relational-Grounded Approach 

“We argue that one major difference between Indigenous perspectives and those from Western worldview within much AI development is embedded is our emphasis on relationality—with each other and with non-humans.” – Jason Edward Lewis

Abundant Intelligences is formed in and through relationships between researchers, Elders, Knowledge-Keepers, language-holders, students, artists, teachers, scientists, etc. Taking care  of these relationships requires a collaborative, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial approach to our Partnerships. We need to co-create with one another rather than extract knowledge, ensure that the research reflects the interests of our communities, and work collaboratively rather than in isolation. Our relational approach allows us to welcome ways of knowing and being that non-relational frameworks often exclude. Relationality enriches us and our work. The annual AGM is a key element to our relational approach. It brings our members together to share research progress, create networking opportunities for students and early-career researchers, build cross-Pod and cross-network collaborations, plan research agendas for the next year, and engage with the hosting Pod’s communities.

Emerging and Future Research 

What does Indigenous-centred AI look like now and in the future? How can Abundant Intelligences’ researchers ensure that future AI systems will respond to their communities’ needs? And how will we build these systems together?

As a core component of the AGM, the network gathers to shape the research program’s overall vision and objectives, review and assess research progress, and determine research priorities for the upcoming year. The AGM also provides opportunities for research activities to happen in-person: through  research project symposiums and Future Imaginaries of Indigenous AI Workshops. This year’s research symposium featured students, Pods, and researchers presenting works in progress and finished projects from years one and two. The Future Imaginaries of Indigenous AI Workshop focussed on speculative designs of Indigenous-AI that will eventually become the prototypes for future technologies developed in the subsequent years. One of the Workshop organizers and Abundant Intelligences’ Postdoctoral Fellow, Ceyda Yolgormez, reflected on this year’s Future Imaginaries: 

“The Future Imaginaries workshop this year was a session that invited the Abundant Intelligences network to collectively imagine their future technologies. We asked “How would you present a technology you have developed within Abundant Intelligences to your community?” which allowed the participants to focus on their current projects they’re working on within the program, and to gear their thinking towards questions of community, accountability, and shared responsibility. The attendees wrote about their concerns, needs, what components they need to get their project off the ground, and what kinds of positive outcomes await them. We also gathered feedback from them to improve the future iterations.” – Ceyda Yolgormez

 

Community Engagement 

A significant portion of the AGM includes following and engaging with the local communities’ cultural practices and protocols. This year, AGM participants attended the 2RO Media Festival at Chiefswood Park in Six Nations, and engaged directly with the Haudenosaunee Pod’s community members, community partners, and collaborators: 2Ro Media, Thru The Red Door, Jukasa Studios, Woodland Cultural Centre, Santee Smith’s Studio, Crawford Lake, the Museum of Ontario Archeology, and more. These community partners and members include Indigenous Elders, Knowledge-Keepers, Storytellers, and creative practitioners who work closely with the Haudenosaunee Pod to share teachings, values and priorities of the local First Nations, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Oneida Nation of the Thames, and Munsee Delaware Nation, and the growing urban Indigenous community in Southern Ontario. The Haudenosaunee Pod’s close collaboration with these communities and individuals guides the Pod’s exploration and development of relational AI systems that offer new pathways for creativity, knowledge, and connection.

The Haudenosaunee Pod carefully curated the programming to provide opportunities to connect, collaborate, and learn across disciplines, experiences, cultures, and communities. Cultural activities, engaging workshops, and local tours nurtured dialogue and sparked innovative discussions. These Community engagement activities were anchored in the Haudenosaunee Pod’s shared vision: Indigenous Knowledge systems are essential for designing AI systems and technologies that embody care, reciprocity, and respect for the Earth and all its peoples.

“I was really grateful to be welcomed to Six Nations territory by Dr. Jackson 2bears and the wonderful members of the Haudenosaunee Pod. They (the Haudenosaunee Pod) worked tirelessly to ensure all visitors were extremely well cared for, while planning groundbreaking academic events such as the 2RO Media Festival, and site visits across Six Nations territory. Their exceptional efforts gave me the opportunity to build lasting friendships and engage in conversations with likeminded researchers. The AGM addressed my anxieties about the accelerated pace of evolving digital landscapes—it gave me a panoramic understanding of the global research agenda of the broader Abundant Intelligences network. For this, I am thankful for the time and efforts of the Abundant Intelligences staff (and of my own Pod members). I felt the panel presentations and talks were wonderfully organized, they provided a basis for invaluable, specific, and tangible discussions about Indigenous data futurities.” – Nayan Velaaskar, Niitsitapi Pod

“Being able to gather together has been a unique experience for me. The first time we gathered in Aotearoa (New Zealand) changed my perspective on the future of Indigenous cultures. The Māori showed us a strong Indigenous culture that had survived for generations. They showed us how their language and traditions were brought forward in their everyday lives. The conversation with Linda Tuhiwai Smith changed my viewpoint on decolonization. I used to avoid the conversation because it would generate a negative response, but Linda gave me a voice for expressing my thoughts on it and how it could be changed into a positive practice. I created the concept for Root Stories and Napi A.I. from the seeds of knowledge she gave me that day. I will be forever grateful for the experience the Māori Pod gifted us and continue to build on the knowledge I gained from it. The first gathering gave me the opportunity to make connections with not only the Māori Pod but also many others from Abundant intelligences and their Indigenous allies. These relationships I carried into the new year with me, and was able to rekindle at the most recent AGM with the Haudenosaunee Pod. This experience was different from the first because it was like coming to a large family gathering and getting to see your distant relatives to share your experiences from the past year. The Haudenosaunee Pod welcomed us to their territory and provided us with a space to share our thoughts, experiences, and future aspirations. I was able to join this past year with new attendees from the Niitsitapi Pod which gave me an opportunity to introduce them to the family and encourage their engagement with the other Pods. From my perspective, the AGM gatherings have become irreplaceable experiences as we – the Niitsitapi Pod and I – have gained knowledge, friendships, and pride in our Indigenous communities.” – Darby Herman, Niitsitapi Pod

Cross-network Collaborations

The Annual General Meeting also provides Abundant Intelligences participants with the opportunity to engage in collaborative sessions and interdisciplinary and cultural activities that foster cross-network collaborations. Meeting face to face creates opportunities for researchers to share best-practices, discuss shared challenges, and identify common research interests. Since Abundant Intelligences is dispersed across time and space, chances to meet in-person are few and especially valuable as they allow researchers to connect with individuals and information that would otherwise be largely inaccessible. 

“For me, the experience of attending the AGM allowed me to put faces to names, and begin to understand the people behind this project. It meant so much more than just reading the papers and the Slack posts. I had a sense of what Blair said today — until we really interacted with each other and with some of the places that the other Pods are situated in, and heard everyone speaking their languages, the meaning was just superficial.  Somehow we made lifelong connections in just a few days. It’s hard to put words to all of this (and I’m not good with feelings in the first place) but this experience was entirely different than any other research conference or gathering I’ve been to — it was research, and learning, and feeling all combined into one experience.” – Jackie Rice, Niitsitapi Pod

“I have been engaging with Abundant Intelligences Pods through readings, Zoom meetings, and Slack updates for months, but meeting everyone face-to-face changed my sense of the network entirely. Gathering in-person offered a richness that simply can’t be replicated online. Sharing meals, stories, and those moments of quiet conversation created space for ideas to move in unexpected directions. Hearing people speak in their own rhythms, watching how conversations unfolded naturally in hallways or around tables, and being welcomed into the places and relationships that shape this work, for me, helped everything click. I often feel most comfortable taking on the role of an observer during gatherings but, sitting in the same room and feeling the energy of collective intention (while still holding diverse perspectives) made me feel more connected, more grounded, and ultimately encouraged me to participate more actively. I’m grateful for the experience.” – Michelle Sylvestre, Niitsitapi Pod