From Cultural Appropriation to Sovereign AI: A Fireside Chat That Will Make You Think

Fireside Chat with Dr Karaitiana Taiuru: AI, Ethics, Culture, and Sovereignty

It was an absolute pleasure to sit down with Dr Karaitiana Taiuru last week for a fireside chat that was equal parts insightful, grounding, and thought-provoking. Karaitiana brings a deeply informed and balanced perspective to the complex intersections of artificial intelligence, ethics, culture, and sovereignty — and I learned a huge amount from our kōrero. The questions from attendees were equally sharp and added so much value to the conversation.

From his early experiences working in IT and feeling discomfort at how Māori knowledge was being commodified, through to his current work advocating for Māori data sovereignty and culturally safe AI development, Karaitiana shared honest reflections and practical advice. We talked about the risks of bias baked into AI systems, the need for Māori (and all underrepresented communities) to be included in the full lifecycle of AI design, and what a sovereign AI model might look like for Aotearoa.

We also explored the practical realities: how AI is already reshaping the job market, the importance of community representation in technology development, and the need to move beyond just talking about data to building the capability to use it well. Dr Taiuru’s call to action? Be more open-minded, educate yourself on Te Tiriti and Māori data sovereignty, and stop expecting your one Māori staff member to carry the cultural load for everyone.