Indigenous digital activists in Mexico assert their self-determination with regard to artificial intelligence

What impact does artificial intelligence (AI) have on Mexico's Indigenous languages? This was one of the questions posed at the first AI+Indigenous Languages Forum, held on March 13 and 14 in Mexico City. The forum provided an opportunity to hear the aspirations and concerns of dozens of participants, explore how tools like machine translation, text-to-speech, and chatbots work, and reflect on linguistic sovereignty and data governance.

With the participation of 47 activists speaking more than 20 different Indigenous languages in Mexico, who are all developing projects that use digital tools to support Indigenous languages, the forum provided a space to share concerns and explore common principles without seeking a unified, collective position.

Held within the framework of the Indigenous Languages Digital Activists Summit 2025, the forum was organized by Rising Voices in collaboration with First Languages AI Reality (FLAIR) and the Research Chair in Digital Indigeneities at Bishop's University in Canada. The event was supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Embassy of Canada in Mexico, and the Wikimedia Foundation, with the Cultural Center of Spain in Mexico as the host.

Key questions were asked: Who is using AI in relation to Indigenous languages? What risks and opportunities exist for peoples’ sovereignty? How can we collectively protect cultural heritage and intellectual creativity? Are these technologies aligned with my values?

Reflections on the risks of AI

Central topics of discussion included copyright, environmental impact, collective rights, cultural heritage, and monitoring of the extraction of ancestral knowledge. Participant Katia González voiced a shared concern about the environmental impact of artificial intelligence requirements:
 

En mi opinión, parte de la congruencia ambiental es cuestionarnos los impactos que está teniendo en nuestras comunidades para mantener el enfriamiento de los motores.

In my opinion, part of environmental consistency is questioning the impacts it's having on our communities to keep our engines cool.

Linguistic and cultural sovereignty was also a hot topic, with concerns over whether the development of generative AI could affect the self-determination of Indigenous communities, their collective rights, and intellectual property rights over their knowledge and cultural expressions. The importance of respecting communities’ autonomy regarding access to and use of their knowledge was also highlighted, as was the need for inclusive regulatory frameworks and policies that prioritize the protection of human rights and cultural diversity.

Significant ethical and technical challenges related to the use of artificial intelligence were also addressed, such as lack of technological knowledge, surveillance risks, and digital divides.

Participants also discussed the need to question how content is collected and presented in order to avoid biases and stereotypes. The data that feeds AI comes from external, biased, incomplete, and outdated perspectives, which distorts the cultural richness and current realities of Indigenous peoples.

Forum participant Verónica Aguilar stated:

¿De dónde saca sus datos la inteligencia artificial para crear un contenido nuevo? Pues de lo que ya existe. Y lo que ya existe es mucho de lo que se promovió en el siglo pasado, muy folclorizante. La historia de los indígenas en el campo, de que todos somos buenos. Entonces, de ahí va a tomar la IA la información. Y quizás, desde el punto de vista lingüístico, [el uso de la IA] es algo positivo, pero desde el punto de vista de los valores que están transmitiendo, ahí no vamos a estar de acuerdo porque para nosotros no es sólo un asunto de lengua sino de toda la cultura.

Where does artificial intelligence get its data to create new content? Well, from what already exists. And what already exists is much of what was promoted in the last century, very folkloric. The history of Indigenous people in the countryside, that we are all good. So, that's where AI will take its information from. And perhaps, from a linguistic perspective, [the use of AI] is something positive, but from the perspective of the values being transmitted, we won't agree on that because for us it's not just a matter of language but of the entire culture.

On the second day of the forum, dialogue highlighting the need to establish fundamental principles for the development of AI, and addressing risks such as gender bias, algorithmic perspectives, and the inclusion of Indigenous communities, brought together government actors, companies, NGOs, and embassies.

AI applications with Indigenous languages

AI also offers opportunities for Indigenous peoples. For example, Dani Ramos, a Nahua student in computer science and linguistics, presented examples of AI applications using Indigenous languages in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand, created with and by Indigenous peoples.

She highlighted the example of Te Hiku Media  in Aotearoa (New Zealand), which uses technology to revitalize the Māori language, as well as the Indigenous and Artificial Intelligence Protocol, which guarantees data sovereignty and community participation. Projects such as Abundant Intelligences, which promotes AI models based on Indigenous knowledge, were also mentioned, alongside similar initiatives in Latin America.

The cases of the Lakota AI Code Camp, IndigiGenius, and FLAIR, which seek to empower communities through technological tools designed from their own cultural and linguistic perspectives, were also shared. These efforts reflect a global movement defending the right of Indigenous peoples to shape AI according to their needs and values.

A desired future

Following an exercise on envisioning the future, participants were divided into small groups and asked to work on proposals for technological development based on Indigenous autonomy, as well as on promoting the creation and management of artificial intelligence, digital tools, and multilingual platforms managed by Indigenous speakers.

The need for inclusive technologies like search engines, voice agents, and automatic translation devices in Indigenous languages was highlighted, allowing communities to develop their own applications without depending on large companies. The importance of preserving Indigenous cultures through digital repositories, community media, and new maps based on their territorial vision was also emphasized.

The creation of intercultural networks, technological cooperatives, and technological sovereignty with their own programming languages was proposed, as part of imagining a sustainable future that combines digital technologies with respect for the land and autonomous local management.

In terms of action, participants suggested the strengthening of digital activists’ networks, the promotion of technological autonomy, the safe use of AI and data sovereignty, the promotion of legislative proposals and campaigns for the ethical use of AI, and the development of collaborative workshops for recommendations adapted to Indigenous contexts. Everyone agreed that this forum should be the beginning of a community-based, participatory strategy with a tangible impact.

Participants recognized the need to continue the dialogue in order to create appropriate tools and protocols for Indigenous communities in the context of the development of AI and language technologies — especially given the complexity that AI poses regarding autonomy, collective ownership, the preservation of linguistic variants, and the predominance of Western perspectives.

As a space in which Indigenous digital activists in Mexico could critically reflect on and analyze the effects of AI, the forum was an important first step — a launching pad to begin to imagine digital ecosystems led by Indigenous speakers who protect and revitalize their languages with a vision for the future.