Indigenous peoples and artificial (co)creation
The ‘INDIGENIA’ research project explored digital inclusion and the appropriation of digital resources by the Indigenous communities of Abya Yala (Latin America), focusing on the possibilities and positive aspects of the digital good. It placed emphasis on the rise of generative AI applications such as ChatGPT and Midjourney.
In this article for Revista do Centro de Pesquisa e Formação (Journal of the Research and Training Center), Digital Good Network Fellow Alex Potiguara (Alexsandro Cosmo De Mesquita) reflects on issues relating to indigenous peoples and artificial co-creation.
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Download the full paper (in Portuguese)
More about the article
This article is an extension of the research “Indigenous Peoples and Artificial (Co)Creation,” presented during the Artificial Intelligence in Creative Processes Seminar, held by the Research and Training Center (CPF) of Sesc São Paulo in 2023.
One of the research objectives is to continue shedding light on the phenomenon of indigenous peoples’ use of digital
technologies and the transformations these technologies provoke in the cultural, identitary and social configuration of these peoples. The method used for this study was documentary research, based on the analysis of texts and observations of images and videos created by indigenous peoples and researchers.
The research focused on analysing documents related to the project: INDIGENIA: Generative AI for Indigenous Futures and ‘Digital Good Living’ coordinated by Professor Thea Pitman, Professor Andreas Rauh and their team in 2023/2024, funded by the ESRC Digital Good Network and developed in partnership with the University of Leeds, Dublin City University, Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Thydêwá NGO, and the Indigenous Association of Maringá (Assindi).
I was invited to participate in this project, through which it was possible to analyse the perceptions of 17 indigenous artists regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) software for the creation of images via Midjourney. These artists are from four countries in South America (Abya Yala): Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Chile. One of the study’s outcomes was the creation of a manifesto with guidelines to be followed by creators and users of digital tools, aiming to contribute to the development of responsible technologies that promote digital and social well-being; another outcome was the conceptualisation of building regenerative AI software through dialogue with indigenous artists and considering the principles outlined in the manifesto.
How to cite the paper
Cosmo de Mesquita, A. (2024). Povos indígenas e a (co)criação artificial. Revista do Centro de Pesquisa e Formação, (18), 127–139. Available online at: https://www.sescsp.org.br/editorial/povos-indigenas-e-a-cocriacao-artificial/