The Fort Peck Tribes invited a small workforce of Googlers to go to Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana, for 2 days of bidirectional studying and relationship constructing. By studying extra concerning the Tribes’ key values (like respect, spirituality, and inclusiveness) the Google workforce — whose experience is within the accountable growth of synthetic intelligence (AI) and generative AI programs — started studying outline social profit extra inclusively and take into consideration how these learnings might create a greater basis for Google merchandise and analysis. The Google workforce welcomed this chance to assist the corporate’s AI Ideas, together with AI Precept #1, “Be socially useful” and AI Purposes We Will Not Pursue.
Fort Peck Tribes, together with the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, are U.S. federally-recognized Tribes, that are self-governing and sovereign entities. The Tribes’ Reservation spans 110 by 50 miles, and varies broadly, from flood plains alongside the Missouri River to high-elevation prairies. Summer season temperatures are within the triple digits and winter temperatures are sometimes nicely under freezing. The Reservation’s resident inhabitants of Tribal members and non-Indians is broadly dispersed on probably the most rural Reservation within the “decrease 48” (the U.S. States excluding Alaska and Hawaii).
The connection constructing — led on the Google aspect by Diane Korngiebel, Moral, Authorized & Social Implications Scholar, and on the Tribes’ aspect by Kenny Smoker, Director, Well being Promotion Illness Prevention Program — occurred remotely over the previous yr, however with this primary in-person go to, the Google workforce and the Tribes hoped to not solely develop the connection additional, but in addition facilitate a reciprocal studying expertise.
By way of this go to, the Google workforce began studying higher assist Fort Peck Tribes’ distinctive identities, cultures, and sovereignty — from serving to preserve their languages, addressing disparities and biases in representations, being aware of information misuse, to striving for services and products which might be culturally related. The Google workforce is exploring numerous potential collaborative tasks with Fort Peck Tribes, together with creating a Siouan AI language mannequin collectively. Because the Google workforce and Fort Peck Tribes proceed to construct this relationship, they’re each hopeful that the Google AI Ecosystem will proceed to use these learnings to construct merchandise which might be extra helpful and useful for everybody.
Actions all through the two-day go to had been packed, as Tribal management, Elders, Youth, Fort Peck Well being Promotion Illness Prevention directors, and Googlers realized about one another personally and professionally, by shared dialog and meals, together with conventional meals (the buffalo stew was a workforce favourite). The Google workforce was additionally deeply honored to take part within the magnificent Pow Wow dancing. (Googlers’ dancing was fairly a bit much less magnificent, however everybody tried!) As well as, Googlers crafted medication pouches, working with leather-based, artificial sinew, and beads, whereas studying about how such pouches had been used. The workforce additionally realized about how the Tribes hunt on their lands, together with buffalo, that are sacred and particularly significant to the Tribes. When searching, all elements of the animal are used, as acts of each thankfulness and respect. Every meal started with an Elder providing a prayer within the Lakota, Dakota, or Nakoda languages adopted by a translation for non-speakers and friends. All occasions, together with the get-together, additionally start with prayers.
