10 Broadening Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Education to Include Indigenous Ways of Knowing
Megan Hamilton
Abstract
Incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing with applications of artificial intelligence in education is necessary for promoting equitable and barrier-free learning opportunities for learners. Further research is needed as scholars and practitioners work toward bridging Indigenous ways of knowing with western forms of artificial intelligence in education in mutually beneficial ways.
Keywords: digital equity, Indigenous ways of knowing, artificial intelligence in education
Applications for artificial intelligence in education (AIEd) have great potential for improving learning and instruction for learners in STEM education (Xu & Ouyang, 2022; Yang, 2022). Such improvements have the potential to lead to increased participation of learners from historically underrepresented groups in STEM fields. Nevertheless, current applications of AI can often be designed in ways that create barriers for learners rather than opportunities. For example, AI technologies have been known to encourage algorithmic biases (Drozdowski et al., 2020, Obermeyer et al., 2019). Additionally, scholars caution that AIEd may compound existing inequities that many learners from historically underrepresented groups already face (e.g., Roschelle et al., 2020). For instance, Druga and colleagues (2020) found that while students from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds were more likely to engage in collaboration, they were less likely to advance their technological skills as compared to students from higher SES backgrounds (which was partly due to students from lower SES backgrounds having decreased previous exposure to coding and AI technologies). As such, scholars must broaden our current conversations of applications for AIEd to account for ways in which we can promote digital equity for all. One of the ways in which we can acknowledge the possibilities of AIEd is to recognize the limitations of purely studying westernized instantiations of AIEd. One such limitation is the current gap in our understanding of what AIEd applications look like in Indigenous contexts.
While American Indians/Alaskan Natives (AI/ANs) comprise two percent of the U.S. population, they make up only 0.2 percent of those employed in science and engineering occupations, meaning AI/ANs are significantly underrepresented in scientific and technological fields (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2017). Many AI/ANs feel disconnected from their cultural backgrounds and struggle to see themselves belonging in school environments where they are a small minority. Beyond that, many science learning activities focus on westernized perspectives which disregards other ways of knowing and does not account for science learning as a cultural activity (Barajas-López & Bang, 2018). Moreover, students are often encouraged to utilize one way of knowing over the other. Instead of having students choose between western and Indigenous methods, we should instead envision more collaborative education experiences that not only acknowledge and encourage students to utilize multiple scientific knowledge systems in a complementary way (Brayboy & Maughan, 2009), but we must also provide students with tools for navigating across diverse knowledge systems (Bang & Medin, 2010).
The landscape of AIEd continues to evolve as a result of digital tools and technologies becoming more accessible to the general public. However, this particular notion of technological accessibility solely driving the AIEd movement in new directions provides a somewhat narrow view of what AIED is and could be. Just as AI technology accessibility is said to have led to an “educational renaissance,” a second re-awakening could be realized if we were to further examine technological accessibility in terms of creating equitable and barrier-free learning opportunities for learners as they engage with AI technologies. Given the potential impacts of AIED to engage students in STEM fields, a logical next step for the future of AIEd might be to embrace Indigenous perspectives, histories, and futures of various technologies including AI. But first, we must ask ourselves: Can scholars and practitioners work toward a common goal of bridging Indigenous ways of knowing and being with more western forms of AIEd? And if so, what would that look like, and how could we navigate this process in ways that mutually benefit one another?
- Discuss the potential barriers that Indigenous students face in STEM fields and how AI might help overcome these challenges.
- Consider the implications of using AI to bridge different ways of knowing in a classroom setting. How can this be achieved without compromising the integrity of each knowledge system?
- Reflect on the challenges and opportunities of integrating Indigenous epistemologies with AI technologies in educational settings.
References
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About the author
name: Megan Hamilton
institution: Weber State University
Dr. Megan Hamilton is a scholar-activist of Anishinaabe and European ancestry, and citizen of the White Earth Nation. She received her Ph.D. in Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences from Utah State University in 2023. She is also Assistant Professor in Teacher Education at Weber State University. Throughout her career, she has actively sought academic spaces where Indigenous perspectives and histories can be embraced in K-12 and post-secondary educational settings. Her scholarly work is at the intersection of social justice, education, and cultural competence.
