First Nations Data Sovereignty and AI – Sept 17, 2025

Session Description

Algorithm Bias in Canada Speaker Series

Speaker: Dr. Benjamin Wald, Senior Research Analyst, Chiefs of Ontario

There has been increasing awareness over the last few years of the issues surrounding the massive amounts of data being used to train AI systems. However, one area that is still underappreciated is the impact of this data use on First Nations data sovereignty. First Nations data sovereignty is the right of First Nations as sovereign nations to make decisions on the ownership, control, collection, access, analysis, application, possession and use of their own data.

This talk will introduce and describe First Nations data sovereignty and the OCAP® principles that have been formulated to protect this right. We will discuss how respecting the right to First Nations data helps to ensure that First Nations are not harmed by AI when it uses First Nations data in ways that stigmatize and stereotype First Nations people. We will show how understanding the distinctive right to data sovereignty of First Nations is key to respecting First Nation rights and promoting safe and ethical use of AI systems.

This event will be hybrid.