American Indian Engagement

Working with tribe representatives and scholars

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have fundamentally challenged the status quo of publicly funded research in the USA and the adequacy of Individual Informed Consent & the Common Rule for this new landscape. This not only requires an interrogation of risks and concerns for the general US citizenry, but, American Indians and Alaska Natives require more consideration and engagement due to their sovereign status as Domestic Dependent Nations.

The AI-READI project will provide an opportunity for the evaluation of conventional tools such as MOUs, Contracts Data Use and Access agreements, and form(s) of Assured Return of Benefit and Sustainable Input, Control and Monitoring of Tribal Data with the understanding, supported by NIH policy, that all data will reside under Tribal Sovereign Authority. Current NIH policy upholds Tribal Sovereignty over data. As such, the AI-READI project will engage with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe toward a goal of adding tribal participation and a data collection protocol aligned to the AI-READI's designed outcomes (with the ability for the tribe to modify the protocol as needed/preferred).