Opinion spectrometer activity at the in-person workshop that took place in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas on May 5, 2026. Photo by Yulma Rodríguez and used with permission.

Artificial intelligence (AI) literacy and peer-learning are important tools to highlight and strengthen Indigenous self-determination and to support Indigenous communities in informed decision-making regarding the use and application of AI in their contexts. This was the focus of the hybrid workshop, “Artificial intelligence, accountability, and Indigenous self-determination,” organized by Rising Voices (Global Voices) during the months of April and May 2026.

On May 5-7, 2026, within the framework of the Mayan Languages Digital Activism Summit in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, fifteen Mayan languages digital activists took part in the in-person activity to collectively discuss IA, autonomy, and informed decision making by Indigenous communities.

Based on the learnings and the priorities included during the First AI+ Languages Forum that was held in Mexico City in March 2025, the facilitation team responsible for the in-person workshop was composed of Kiado Cruz, a Zapotec communicator and researcher, Genner Llanes-Ortíz, Mayan researcher, Aída Naxhielly Espíndola and Valería Hernández from the organization La Sandía Digital. The team built and facilitated a space for reflection that help surface critical views around this technology, particularly about the revitalization, dissemination, and documentation of Indigenous languages.

AI literacy as a starting point

The participants arrived at the in-person sessions after completing a two-part online workshop; the first was held on April 8th and covered basic AI literacy, and which was facilitated by Belu Ticona, a Quechua-Aymara computer scientist, and the second session was held on April 21st, which focused on accountability in the use of AI through concrete case studies. This session was led by Rosalba Gómez, a Tseltal digital strategist working on the impacts of AI, particularly on Indigenous women.

Following these virtual sessions, the first day of the in-person workshop began with mapping of the most relevant topics as decided by the participants. Several concerns surfaced during this exercise, including the use of artificial intelligence within Indigenous communities, particularly by children, teenagers, and older adults, and the connection to the deterioration of social bonds and mental health. Other concerns included that the use of AI might deepen younger generations’ disinterest in using Mayan languages, especially because most of the content that is available is primarily in English. There is also a demand for genuine representation within AI models and the impact that this has, and the curiosity about how this technology could be used in a pedagogical way in basic education.

Following this, participants took part in various exercises, including the opinion spectrum and a World Café activity, which delved deeper into the concerns, questions, and proposals that activists have about the use and appropriation of AI. They also took part in narrative conversations, which helped them imagine possible futures in relation to the AI and focused on autonomous decision-making by Indigenous peoples.

Introductory session at the in-person workshop that took place in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas on May 5, 2026. Photo by Yulma Rodríguez and used with permission.

A recurring point among the Mayan activists was related to the lack of access to information about how generative AI uses the data it collects when one uses it, which is closely tied to knowledge gaps when it comes to digital security and safety. At the same time, there is strong interest in understanding how to ‘take advantage’ of AI for language and cultural preservation, even though there are many questions about whether or not to feed these models, and whether or not its use  – as it is with all types of digital technologies – can really contribute to language preservation, given that languages are sustained through everyday use because the languages’ vitality depends on being spoken person-to-person.

Reflection and dialogue: a pathway to open community conversations about AI

Building on these conversations, participants were guided in adapting these issues into communication messages for their own communities. This process drew on a methodology developed by La Sandía Digital to build strategies and communication plans that respond to the goals of organizations, movements, communities, and individuals. The different phases were based on an analogy – the process of planting during the lunar cycle – and facilitated narrative conversations, another method that supports this work, so that participants could draw on that foundation to develop messages that reflect their feelings and learnings.

This poster was collaboratively created by Pablo, Efraín, Corne, Elmar, Lusbey, Magnolia, Julio, Miguel and Jackeline as part of the communication activity facilitated by La Sandía Digital

In the text below, there are excerpts from the narrative conversations (a strategy to guide conversation in which facilitators document the participants’ words, editing them into a collective voice):

Placing ourselves in the church of our peoples, next to the milpas (note: a traditional Mesoamerican farming cycle grounded in the relationship between farmers, crops, and land)… we start from a place that's confusing and somewhat concerning. Yes, it's concerning because of the technology, and yes, because of the children. We've always been taught to measure things, to meet international standards, because that is what we are told we're supposed to strive for. The saddest part is that we keep forcing ourselves forward, and similar to the milpa's cycle which often does not give each step its own proper time, we do the same with technology. In the end, they see us as little machines that absorb everything.

It would be important to know how we're positioning ourselves in relation to artificial intelligence and technology. We hope that at some point technology won't dominate us, and that there will be some balance, because we're speeding everything up and we feel like we can't breathe. We were thrown into this quickly and told to “just figure it out,” when in many places there isn't even internet access. We insist that we're still missing a diagnosis, an analysis. We need to ground this, because each group is going to understand these things differently. We don't want to replace community life with a digital mechanism. We want to take care of these relationships between people.

We dream of there being a limit to the use of artificial intelligence, because technology is already living alongside us. Even though it has helped us in some ways, we need to return to our principles and values, to maintain control from the communities themselves. We need to ask ourselves how each person can inform themselves about the correct use of AI, because that strengthens us, that helps us. We know it will be complicated and that we have to go step by step. But there are alternatives, there are tools. That's why we say: something must be done.

In light of this, the participants concluded that it is important to keep reflecting on the use of AI, deepen understanding on what it is, and what it is not, as well as its reach and its link with other digital technologies in order to make conscious, informed decisions. This should take place before prioritizing training workshops focused on simply encouraging its immediate use in the revitalization, documentation or dissemination of Mayan languages, or Indigenous languages more broadly. This should be to recognize that large language models are concentrated in the hands of large corporations, while more localized efforts that exist are smaller, measured, and operate under a different logic; and also upholds the right to information that must continue to be defended.

By the end of the workshop, the participants agreed on the importance of allowing themselves to pause in the face of the feelings and the narratives of inevitability and the urgency around incorporating AI into their daily life. They indicated that this is what helps with genuinely building autonomy and sovereignty, to confidently define their own goals in their own contexts for how these new technologies should be used without reinforcing the idea that these technologies should dominate them.

This program was made possible by the support of the Kellogg Foundation and the Pulitzer Center.