Digital Transformation: Enabling AI Adoption for First Nations in BC
The First Nations Technology Council wants to better understand the challenges and opportunities to adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) in First Nations communities across British Columbia. Help inform the development of Indigenous-designed custom AI resources to support Nation-building in your community.
What is AI?
Artificial Intelligence, or “AI,” is computers or machines designed to think and learn like humans. AI helps them do things that usually need human brainpower, like learning new things, solving problems, making decisions, recognizing patterns, and understanding language. Common AI tools include voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa, Bixby, or Google Assistant, or generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini. AI is quickly becoming a part of nearly all technologies. AI creates unlimited opportunities for how we work, manage information, and innovate.
A Critical Moment for First Nations
There is an urgent need to build AI literacy to ensure First Nations are not left behind. This powerful technology has the potential to support Nation-building, governance, economic development, cultural preservation, and more, but only when Nations guide and implement its design and implementation.
We are actively working to understand communities’ goals and objectives so we can design custom AI resources to support Nation-building. Although we are still in the early stages of this work, some potential resources include:
- AI Readiness Assessment: A short quiz to help communities assess their readiness to adopt AI and suggest practical tools for their unique priorities
- AI prompt library: To help communities learn how to use out-of-the-box tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini effectively.
- AI toolkit: To help communities select the best AI tools for their needs and goals.
- Nation-focussed AI courses: A suite of courses that will break down different AI models and how to use them for practical applications.
We Are Here
Phase 1:
Understanding Your Needs
Understanding Your Needs: Understanding First Nations current use, barriers, and priorities for using AI.
Phase 2:
Create AI Adoption Resources
Create AI Adoption Resources: Using your feedback to create two custom courses that will support AI adoption, along with a toolkit, prompt library, and a readiness assessment.
Phase 3:
Launch
Launch:
Our courses will be available in late 2025.
Our courses will be available in late 2025.
Phase 4:
Evaluation
Evaluation: At six and twelve months, we will evaluate our AI Adoption resources to make sure they're supporting First Nations and enabling digital transformation for Nation-building.
Get Involved!
By learning about your Nation's needs and priorities, we can ensure our custom AI resources are relevant to your community. We invite you to share insights, priorities, and experiences to shape these AI resources and serve your community's needs.
Have your say by participating in one of the three engagement opportunities below. The only requirement is that you are an elected official or staff member of a First Nation in BC. There is no experience or knowledge of AI required to participate in this engagement process.
Your feedback is anonymous. The Technology Council seeks to uphold OCAP® and will not share your data for any purpose other than to help us shape resources to support AI adoption in First Nations communities in BC.
Survey: This will take 10-15 minutes to complete. You can enter your information to win one of two $250 cash prizes.
In-Person or Virtual Meeting: We are organizing sessions in each region of BC to ensure everyone’s voices are heard. Click the button below to contact us.
Send an email: Busy schedule? No problem. Click the button below to send us an email and tell us about your experience using AI in your role.
Who Should Participate?
We want to hear from First Nations communities in BC: elected leaders, executive directors, band managers, programs and services departments, policy and planning professionals, economic development and business services, information technology and digital divisions, communications and engagement professionals, and other individuals working for First Nations.
Stay updated with our progress by subscribing to our Research & Engagement newsletter.
Questions? Email us at lindsay@technologycouncil.ca
Questions? Email us at lindsay@technologycouncil.ca
