GLAM Databases and First Nations Project

GLAM Databases and First Nations Sovereignty in Age of Artificial Intelligence

About

This project examines how GLAM institutions (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) can act as trustworthy stewards of First Nations knowledge in the age of generative artificial intelligence (AI).

Digitisation has made cultural heritage more accessible, but it has also created new risks. Material available online may be collected by AI systems without the knowledge or consent of First Nations community representatives. This can remove cultural expressions from their context and lead to uses that are misleading, disrespectful or harmful. The project considers how Indigenous authority and cultural protocols can guide the way digital collections are described, accessed and managed.

Project Abstract

The project brings together First Nations community representatives, researchers and GLAM professionals to explore how digital collections containing First Nations knowledge should be governed. The research will review current GLAM practices and identify legal and technical gaps that leave cultural material open to extraction and use by generative AI. It will also consider how existing laws and policies might better recognise the authority of First Nations community representatives over their knowledge.

Working with community and institutional partners, the project will develop prototype database standards and practical governance resources. These will support culturally informed approaches to metadata, access and rights management, while strengthening First Nations data sovereignty and trust in cultural institutions.