The United Nations (UN) marked Indigenous Peoples Day by warning that AI could hurt 476 million Indigenous people worldwide while also announcing 10 climate action prize winners, according to UN.
The virtual event focused on how artificial intelligence brings both risks and opportunities for Indigenous communities across 5,000 different cultures. Tech companies often shut out Indigenous voices when making AI decisions while grabbing their knowledge and languages without asking permission.
Indigenous communities are getting squeezed as AI data centers gobble up massive amounts of electricity that makes climate change worse. When these facilities get built near Indigenous lands, they trash the ecosystems that communities need to survive. Using Indigenous knowledge to train AI systems without consent keeps repeating the same old colonial exploitation patterns that have hurt these communities for centuries.
But AI isn’t all bad news for Indigenous peoples. Some communities are using the technology to save traditional knowledge and help young people keep their cultures and languages alive. The UN Development Programme handed out Equator Prizes to groups showing how “Nature for Climate Action” works through environmental solutions that blend old wisdom with new approaches.
Prize winners include Argentina’s COMAR, which turns traditional crafts into products people actually want to buy, and Brazil’s Uasei, building an Indigenous-run economy around açaí berries. India’s Bibifathima Swa Sahaya mixes old-school farming with solar power to help village farmers. Each winner gets $10,000 and gets honored at big UN ceremonies.
“These winners remind us why we need to honor Indigenous Peoples’ vision and leadership,” said UNDP’s Marcos Neto, pointing out how these communities create solutions that help both their local environments and the whole planet’s climate fight.
