The “Old Ways, New” is a website for an Indigenous-owned and led social enterprise with a new vision and commitment to working with Indigenous cultural knowledge elders and communities to develop different ways of doing technologies. They are trying to find answers for: What can Indigenous Knowledge Systems teach us, and how can Indigenous and Western methods of knowing collaborate to shape how we adapt to and optimize technology solutions, particularly in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI)? Their work is informed by what they call the “country-based design” as well as the Indigenous pattern thinking. These concepts aren’t explained thoroughly on the site pages, but you can learn about them from the resources in their “publications and media” section. I found good resources for my final project such as “Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Pattern Thinking,” introducing Aboriginal youth to robotics using an Indigenous perspective and explaining “pattern thinking” as a possible paradigm for designing new technologies (See figure below).
A Screen Capture of the “publications & media” resources in the “Old Ways, New” website
To get you more closer to the “Old Ways, New” vision, its goals, and their approach towards informing technological solutions. I am embedding an episode of the Social Lights Podcast (available also in the publications & media section), where Kate Vandervoort interviewed Angie Abdilla, the founder and CEO of the “Old Ways, New” about bringing indigenous wisdom into artificial intelligence.
The following quote was exceptionally impactful for me as a technologist because I know how our work is inferior to such a prospect:“[The company] is not interested in sustainability in the Western sense, but from a very different perspective. From an indigenous perspective, it is the inherent interconnection of both social and environmental sustainability. [This belief] extends into how the company runs, in every decision made. If the relationships aren’t there, or aren’t strong in the first place, then nothing moves. [Ultimately], it always comes back to relationships. That’s really tricky because formulas and processing dominate [the technology] sector” (Social Mediology Pty Ltd, 2019, November 1st, 19:21).
References:
- Social Mediology Pty Ltd.( 2019, November 1st). Indigenous Wisdom in Artificial Intelligence – Episode 4. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7tJsFSBACg.