IKI September Monthly Members Tok Stori Discusses AI and Indigenous Communities

Honiara, Solomon Islands — Monday, 21st  September 2026: The Islands Knowledge Institute (IKI) held its September Monthly Members Tok Stori at the IKI Conference Room, with members and  Islands Fellowship students also joining online.

The topic for the session was “AI Adoption and Governance by Indigenous Communities”, facilitated by the Solomon Space Team led by Dr Phil Tagini.

The discussion focused on the growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what it means for indigenous communities, organizations and leaders.

Dr. Tagini who is also a IKI Board of Director explained that AI is becoming part of everyday life, just like computers and the internet did in previous generations. He said it is important for indigenous communities to understand AI so they can make informed decisions about how it is used.

One of the main issues discussed was indigenous knowledge and data.  Indigenous communities hold valuable information about their people, families, land, boundaries, culture, traditions, plants, marine areas and history. A central question raised was whether this information should be given to AI tools or not? Who should have permission to share it and how should it be protected?

The session also highlighted the risks of putting sensitive information into AI tools such as ChatGPT and other online platforms. Once information is entered into these systems, communities may not always know how that information could be stored, processed or used. For this reason, organizations and communities need clear rules about what information can and cannot be shared with AI.

one of the participating IKI member, Robson Hevaloa said in his comments, that Indigenous communities need to be careful about what information they share with AI. Not all traditional knowledge, stories, customs, or cultural information should be put into AI, especially knowledge that is sacred, private, or only meant to be shared with certain families, clans, or community members.

He added, that AI should be used as a tool, not as the person who makes the final decision. AI can help with research, writing, organizing information, and other tasks, but it can sometimes give wrong or incomplete information. Therefore, people must always check the information, use their own knowledge and judgment, and take responsibility for how AI is used.

Dr. Tagini stated that another important point was that using AI does not mean giving up human responsibility. AI can help people with tasks such as reading large amounts of information, finding patterns, preparing documents and doing repetitive work. However, people still need to think, check the information and make the final decisions.

Raymond Sukua, another member of IKI, highlighted that AI has significant potential to improve workplace efficiency, workflow, and communication, but its adoption also raises important concerns for Indigenous communities, particularly around Indigenous knowledge, customary data, and governance.

In addition, he said ‘this session showed me that governance around its usage is the gap. We need open discussion to develop a policy so that AI adoption in the workplace is controlled’.

Participants were also reminded that AI can sometimes provide information that is incorrect. Therefore, anything produced by AI should be checked and verified by a person before it is used or shared.

Overall, the Tok Stori highlighted that AI can provide useful opportunities for indigenous communities, but it needs to be used carefully and responsibly. Communities need to understand the technology while also protecting their knowledge, culture, personal information and decision-making authority.

The Islands Knowledge Institute thanked the Solomon Space Team and all members and participants who took part in the September Monthly Members Tok Stori, both in person and online. 

ENDS

Islands Knowledge Institute (IKI) Comms