This research was made possible through the support of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario as part of the Consortium on Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Six Nations Polytechnic is an Indigenous Institute with a strategic focus on language revitalization. The University department, the Deyohahá:ge: Indigenous Knowledge Centre, and the Centre for Teaching and Learning completed an environmental scan to assess evidence for generative AI use in language learning across the post-secondary landscape, with consideration for the unique implications for Indigenous Institutes surrounding data sovereignty. The project produced the Decolonizing Evaluative Assessment Tool detailed in the initial blog post to ensure Indigenous voices lead research efforts, and the second blog post spoke to the prevalence and reception of adaptive learning technologies within Indigenous educational environments and communities. The final phase of the project represents initial engagement with the local community to ascertain the climate for integrating generative AI for Indigenous language learning. The results presented in this blog post are based on feedback obtained through a focus group held at the Six Nations Polytechnic campus in Ohsweken, Ontario, open to the Six Nations community, and an internal survey made available to Indigenous staff and students at Six Nations Polytechnic.
Focus Group
Focus group participants were asked a series of questions to establish their language learning backgrounds, challenges they have experienced in learning languages, and existing impressions, thoughts, or questions they had about generative AI and adaptive learning technologies. While acknowledging that many challenges accompany learning Indigenous languages, participants nonetheless identified concerns over environmental impacts as a result of AI use, the accuracy of AI outputs given the complexity of Haudenosaunee languages, and a potential misalignment with Haudenosaunee cultural values, responsibilities, and established practices for transmitting knowledge to future generations. Concerns over the misappropriation of linguistic and cultural knowledge also featured throughout the discussion, with an overall sense that further discussion is needed with more members of the community.
Focus group participants also voiced the need for flexibility within language programming, allowing cultural obligations and familial responsibilities to take precedence. Further barriers included a lack of fluent speakers and limited opportunities to use the language in practice. The complexity of grammar acquisition was also discussed at length.
Internal Survey
The Adaptive Learning and Language Revitalization Survey was developed to elicit feedback on experiences with Indigenous language learning, perspectives on adaptive learning, and the use of digital tools, including generative AI. The survey was administered internally to Indigenous staff and students, and participants responded to a structured set of 33 questions. Questions explored individual usage levels and the successful integration of specific tools. Additional themes prompted reflection on ethical considerations, community control, environmental impact, and the role of technology in supporting language revitalization efforts.
Survey respondents pointed to pronunciation as an area requiring additional support. The integration of storytelling alongside mobile accessibility figured prominently in feedback; the latter reflects sentiments expressed in the focus group, where everyday responsibilities to family and community demand opportunities for short intervals of learning. Cultural misappropriation and the inability of AI to capture the relationality central to Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being were recurring themes.
Common Threads
The outcomes from both the focus group and survey data underscore the need for great care in preserving Indigenous data sovereignty and cultural values above all else in relation to AI, and that—if used in any capacity—adaptive learning technologies function as supplementary tools, with the core of learning remaining grounded within community. The necessity of fitting learning into everyday life emerged often, and consideration for how the creation of tools or opportunities that allow for bursts of independent learning could be further explored. Paramount were concerns surrounding the depiction of Indigenous culture and the potential for misrepresentation and distortion of Indigenous languages and knowledges, particularly within current generative AI systems. Further monitoring to understand evolving uses and potential risks and benefits is needed.
Opportunities for Further Research
Exploring mechanisms for data sovereignty for Indigenous communities who may elect to engage with these technologies for language revitalization is needed. Adaptive learning mechanisms that reject cultural misappropriation and support mobile accessibility are strongly encouraged for the development of tools that contribute to the reclamation of Indigenous languages.
Six Nations Polytechnic extends its gratitude to the research team at HEQCO for their support of this project, and for the professionalism, kindness, and care shown in respecting the Indigenous worldview and approach, particularly given the sensitive nature of this research.