The incorporation of Indigenous perspectives and content in Australian classrooms has been a challenge for teachers. Often, the approach is tokenistic and lacks cultural responsiveness. In recent years, generative AI has gained popularity in education, with tools like ChatGPT being widely discussed and explored.
However, there are concerns regarding the use of generative AI in the classroom, particularly in relation to Indigenous peoples. Indigenous communities have raised issues about the risks posed by these technologies, including threats to their incomes, art, and cultural knowledge. With generative AI, anyone can easily produce “Indigenous-style” art and content, which undermines Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights. Additionally, there are concerns about Indigenous data sovereignty and the perpetuation of misinformation that harms Indigenous communities.
These concerns have implications for the classroom, where it is important for all students, especially Indigenous students, to see themselves reflected in the curriculum. Generative AI runs the risk of promoting inaccuracies and false information instead of meaningfully engaging with Indigenous values and knowledge systems. This can harm the student-teacher relationship, which is crucial for Indigenous students.
While the Australian government has released a framework for generative AI in schools that acknowledges the importance of respecting Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights, more work needs to be done to ensure teachers can appropriately incorporate Indigenous content. Currently, there is a lack of research on the intersection between generative AI and Indigenous content inclusion in the classroom.
However, generative AI also has the potential to benefit Indigenous communities. Many Indigenous people are already engaging with these technologies in positive ways. To ensure Indigenous inclusion at all levels, from development to use, policy and professional bodies need to prioritize Indigenous perspectives. Teachers and students should be supported with resources that promote critical thinking when engaging with generative AI. Further guidance on Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights and culturally appropriate AI use is necessary for educators. There is still much for generative AI to learn from Indigenous knowledges.