Seale, A. (2026, June 19). This Concordia professor is leading a global initiative to bring Indigenous knowledge to AI. Begiant.ca; Be Giant. https://www.begiant.ca/stories/people/jason-edward-lewis-concordia-indigenous-ai

‌Abstract

In this article, journalist Andrew Seale profiles Concordia University Professor and Abundant Intelligences co-director Jason Edward Lewis. The piece focuses on Lewis’ work with Abundant Intelligences, a six-year, $23-million initiative bringing together Indigenous researchers, artists, and Knowledge Keepers to challenge the narrow, Western-centric definition of intelligence embedded in today’s AI systems.

Through a decentralized network of community-run research pods spanning Canada, the U.S., and the Pacific Islands, the project explores how Indigenous concepts (kinship, reciprocity, data sovereignty, and polysynthetic languages like Blackfoot) could reshape how AI is built. Lewis argues that current AI reflects just one kind of intelligence, offering a real opportunity for Indigenous communities to be part of the future of technology.