𝗔𝗜, 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀

I came across this article over the weekend, and it took my mind in a few different directions.

AI-generated imagery is raising concerns for First Nations people, as it mimics "Aboriginal art," often misappropriating significant symbols or generating hollow imitations without cultural connection. While we call this out, First Nations artists are also grappling with similar issues—how much of what we see in the mainstream is created for the white gaze?

To put it bluntly, some art today isn’t about the artist or the story—it’s about what sells. I have no problem with First Nations people making money off emerging trends, but we need to have nuanced conversations about the key differences in art and its impact. If First Nations artists are already creating work that aligns with mainstream, non-Indigenous expectations, why wouldn’t AI follow suit?

This also got me thinking about visual representation in media and communications. Years ago, I worked with a non-Indigenous photographer on a project in the Northern Territory. Despite my experience in Indigenous media, she made comments like "𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭" and "𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥." It reinforced what I’ve long observed: mainstream depictions of First Nations people often reflect what non-Indigenous people expect us to look like.

With over a million First Nations people in Australia, we are as diverse in appearance as we are in culture and geography—there is no “one way” to look Indigenous. While progress has been made, it’s still not enough.

As AI plays a bigger role in shaping perceptions, should we work to ensure it learns our diversity, even when mainstream imagery remains filtered through a non-Indigenous lens? Or do we reject AI-generated representations altogether?

I'm not sure I have a stance on howe we are represented in the world of AI yet, but it's certainly something I have been thinking about a lot.