Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how Aotearoa works, learns and communicates, but Dr Kevin Shedlock of Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou and Whakatōhea says Māori need to be at the centre of deciding what comes next.
As AI becomes embedded across workplaces, education, healthcare, government and the digital economy, Dr Shedlock is exploring not only the opportunities created by the technology but the risks and responsibilities that come with it.
For Māori, the debate carries another dimension.
Who controls Māori data? How is mātauranga Māori used by artificial intelligence systems? Can algorithms reproduce existing bias? And will rangatahi Māori become creators and owners of the new technology — or simply consumers of systems designed somewhere else?
AI revolution is already underway
Artificial intelligence is no longer a technology of the distant future.
Generative AI can already produce text, images, computer code, audio and video in seconds, while other AI systems are increasingly being used to analyse information, automate business processes and support decision-making.
That creates enormous opportunities for Aotearoa.
AI could improve productivity, help small businesses compete, support scientific research, transform education and provide new tools across industries ranging from healthcare and agriculture to media and technology.
For Māori businesses and organisations, it could also reduce costs and create new ways of delivering services to whānau.
But those benefits are accompanied by significant risks.
Māori data is taonga
One of the biggest questions concerns data.
Artificial intelligence systems depend on enormous quantities of information to train models and generate results.
For Māori, information about whakapapa, language, culture, whenua, communities and mātauranga cannot necessarily be treated as just another dataset.
That raises questions about Māori data sovereignty and the ability of Māori to exercise authority over information relating to Māori people, communities and knowledge.
As AI systems become more powerful, safeguards around how Indigenous information is collected, stored, interpreted and reused will become increasingly important.
The issue is not simply privacy.
It is also about rangatiratanga.
Protecting mātauranga Māori
Generative AI presents particular challenges for mātauranga Māori.
Digital systems can reproduce information at extraordinary speed, but they do not automatically understand tikanga, whakapapa, context or the cultural responsibilities attached to knowledge.
An AI system may be technically capable of reproducing Māori words, stories, imagery or concepts without understanding whether that material is appropriate to use.
That creates risks of cultural appropriation, misinformation and the removal of mātauranga from the relationships and communities to which it belongs.
It also strengthens the argument that Māori need to participate in the governance and design of AI systems rather than relying entirely on rules created overseas.
Bias can become automated
There is another danger.
Artificial intelligence learns from existing data, and existing data can contain the inequalities and biases already present in society.
If those problems are embedded into automated systems, technology can potentially reproduce discrimination at scale.
That becomes particularly important when AI is used in areas such as employment, healthcare, education, financial services, policing or government decision-making.
An algorithm may appear neutral because it is a computer system.
But its decisions ultimately depend on the information, assumptions and objectives built into it.
For communities that have historically experienced institutional inequity, understanding and challenging those systems will be critical.
Rangatahi must be creators, not just consumers
The AI revolution also presents an enormous opportunity for rangatahi Māori.
The jobs of the future will increasingly require digital skills, AI literacy, critical thinking and an understanding of how automated technologies operate.
That makes access to education and technology increasingly important.
But participation cannot stop at learning how to use an AI chatbot.
The bigger opportunity is developing Māori software engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, scientists, policymakers and technology leaders capable of building the systems themselves.
If Māori are present when the technology is designed, there is a greater opportunity to ensure Māori values and perspectives are considered from the beginning.
AI could strengthen te reo — but care is needed
Artificial intelligence could also become an important tool for te reo Māori.
Language technologies have the potential to support transcription, translation, education and access to Māori-language content.
But te reo Māori is not simply another language dataset.
The collection and use of Māori-language material raises questions about consent, ownership, accuracy and whether communities whose knowledge helped create those resources receive any benefit from their commercial use.
Poorly trained systems can also confidently produce incorrect translations or culturally inappropriate material.
Human expertise therefore remains essential.
The decisions made now will shape generations
Dr Shedlock’s work ultimately points towards a much bigger conversation about the future Aotearoa wants to build.
Artificial intelligence will continue developing regardless of whether governments, businesses and communities feel ready for it.
The choice is whether Māori are brought into that transformation after the major decisions have already been made — or are involved in shaping those decisions from the beginning.
That means conversations about regulation, education, data sovereignty, intellectual property, cultural protection and economic participation need to happen now.
Because AI is not simply changing technology.
It is beginning to change who holds knowledge, who controls information, how decisions are made and where economic power sits.
For Māori, the challenge is therefore bigger than learning how to use artificial intelligence.
It is ensuring the next generation has the skills, authority and opportunity to shape it.
The algorithm may be new — but the question is familiar: who gets to decide?
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