Education on Country: Peta-Anne Toohey on AI and Data Sovereignty

In this episode of the AI in Education Podcast, hosts Dan and Ray welcome Peta-Anne Toohey, Social Reciprocity Manager at Indigital, Australia's first Indigenous-owned digital training company. Together they explore how generative AI intersects with Indigenous knowledge systems, and why cultural safety, data sovereignty, and community-led design must be central to any tech or education initiative.

Peta shares powerful stories from her work in Cape York, where communities are building digital skills on Country through augmented reality, drones, and caring-for-country technologies. She unpacks what it means to create culturally safe technologies, how free, prior and informed consent should shape AI use, and why decolonising how we think about technology is essential for equity in education.

It's a fascinating discussion on how AI can empower, or endanger, Indigenous communities, and what educators and universities can learn from truly collaborative design.

Find Peta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peta-anne-toohey/

Links - Organisations, people and projects mentioned

InDigital - https://www.indigital.net.au/ 
Local Contexts - https://localcontexts.org/ 
Terri Janke - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Janke 

Google's Indigenous Language Projects

• Google and language researchers team up to teach AI Aboriginal English
  https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/google-and-researchers-are-teaching-ai-aboriginal-english/1uuqtjkf8 
• Woolaroo: a new tool for exploring indigenous languages
  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/arts-culture/woolaroo-new-tool-exploring-indigenous-languages/ 

Microsoft's Indigenous AI Projects

• Modis delivers first-of-its-kind Aboriginal language app to help break down communication barriers
  https://news.microsoft.com/en-au/features/modis-delivers-first-of-its-kind-aboriginal-language-app-to-help-break-down-communication-barriers/ 
• AI technology helps protect sea turtle nests from feral pigs in north Queensland
  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-18/turtle-feral-pig-threat-artificial-intelligence-science/13162536 
• AI transforms Kakadu management
  https://news.microsoft.com/en-au/features/ai-transforms-kakadu-management/