RESPONSE TO THE CALL FOR INPUTS:
STUDY ON “INDIGENOUS PEOPLES RIGHT TO DATA, INCLUDING DATA COLLECTION AND DISAGGREGATION”

The response paper explores the role of AI in indigenous data collection, responding to a call for inputs by the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It emphasizes indigenous data sovereignty and the need for Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) to ensure ethical data collection. AI is presented as a solution to enhance accuracy, accessibility, and efficiency in data gathering while addressing gaps in traditional methods.

 

The paper highlights two case studies from India:

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• ICMR’s Digital Surveillance Platform – AI and GIS were used to predict food and waterborne disease outbreaks in Northeast India, improving health interventions. Machine Learning for Child Anemia Prediction – AI models identified key risk factors in Northeast India, enabling better resource allocation in public health.

• Despite its potential, AI integration presents challenges, including privacy risks, bias in algorithms, and ethical concerns about data misuse. Indigenous communities may face digital access barriers, and AI models trained on incomplete datasets risk perpetuating inequalities.

• To mitigate these risks, the paper advocates for active indigenous participation, ethical AI frameworks that respect FPIC, and legal protections ensuring data sovereignty. The conclusion asserts that AI can revolutionize indigenous data collection by making it more inclusive and policy-driven. However, this must be accompanied by strong legal safeguards and ethical oversight to ensure AI benefits indigenous communities without exploitation or harm.