Seattle Law School: “Indigenous Perspectives on AI: Appropriation, Regulation, and Innovation” on June 5, 2026

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here.

Join Seattle University School of Law for the 9th Annual Innovation and Technology Law Conference, a virtual gathering exploring Indigenous Perspectives on AI: Appropriation, Regulation, and Innovation.

 

  • Friday, June 5, 2026
  • 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Virtual event
  • Register to receive the Zoom link the day before the event

 

Presented by the Technology, Innovation Law, and Ethics (TILE) Institute and the SITIE Initiative, and co-sponsored by the Northwest Center for Indigenous Law, Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental & Innovation Law (SJTEIL), and the American Indian Law Journal, this year’s conference brings together leading scholars, practitioners, and Indigenous leaders.

 

Through a full day of panels and discussion, you’ll gain insight into:

 

  • The legal and ethical implications of cultural appropriation in AI
  • Indigenous data sovereignty and emerging frameworks
  • AI regulation through the lens of tribal sovereignty
  • Innovative models led by Indigenous technologists and communities

 

View the full agenda and speaker lineup on the SITIE Conference event page.
Register now to be part of this timely and critical conversation.

Agenda

All times listed below are Pacific time.

9:00 a.m. Welcome and Land Acknowledgement

Dean Anthony Varona, Seattle University School of Law
Steven Bender, Associate Dean for Planning and Strategic Initiatives and Professor of Law, Seattle University School of Law 

9:10-10:30 a.m. Cultural Appropriation: Past and Present 

Moderator

Nazune Menka, Assistant Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Northwest Center for Indigenous Law, Seattle University School of Law (Denaakk’e [Koyukon Athabaskan] & Lumbee)

Panelists

  • Kristen A. Carpenter, Distinguished University Professor & Council Tree Professor, Director, American Indian Law Program, University of Colorado Law School
  • Trevor Reed, Professor of Law, UC Irvine School of Law (Enrolled, Hopi Tribe)
  • Forrest Tahdooahnippah, Assistant Professor of Law, Mitchell Hamline School of Law (Enrolled, Comanche Nation)

10:30–10:35 a.m. Break

10:35 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Conference Spotlight: Data Sovereignty and the Ethics of AI

Moderator

Brooke Pinkham, Director, Northwest Center for Indigenous Law (Citizen, Nimiipuu [Nez Perce] Nation) 

Panelists

  • Abigail Echo-Hawk, Executive Vice President, Seattle Indian Health Board and Director, Urban Indian Health Institute (Enrolled, Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma)
  • Aila Hoss, Associate Professor of Law, Indiana University McKinney School of Law
  • Stephanie Russo-Carroll, Associate Professor, Public Health, University of Arizona; Co-Director, Indigenous Data Alliance; Director, Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance (Citizen of the Native Village of Kluti-Kaah)
  • Desi Small-Rodriguez, Assistant Professor, UCLA American Indian Studies and Sociology, Director, Data Warriors Lab, Co-Founder, US Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network, Founding Member, Global Indigenous Data Alliance (Enrolled, Northern Cheyenne Nation)
  • Rebecca Tsosie, Regents Professor and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law, University of Arizona James E. Rodgers College of Law (Yaqui descent)

12:15-12:30 p.m. Break

12:30-1:45 p.m. Ethical Natural Resource Use and AI

Moderator

Bree Black Horse, Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton LLP, Native American Affairs Team (Enrolled, Seminole Nation of Oklahoma)

Panelists

  • Marthy Hernandez, Associate, Native American Affairs Practice Group, Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton LLP
  • Lydia Jennings, Assistant Professor, Director, Sovereign Soils Research Collaborative, Department of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College and Chair, Indigenous Data Governance Task Force and Co-Founder, Indigenous Data Alliance (Member, Huicho [Wixáritari] and Pascua Yaqui [Yoeme] Tribes)
  • Krystal Two Bulls, Executive Director, Honor the Earth (Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne descent) 

1:45-1:50 p.m. Break

1:50-2:45 p.m. AI Regulation and Indigenous Sovereignty

Moderator

Steve Tapia, Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, Seattle University School of Law

Panelists

  • Adam Crepelle, Assistant Professor of Law, Loyola University Chicago (Enrolled, United Houma Nation)
  • Margaret Hu, Davison Douglas Professor of Law and Director of the Digital Democracy Lab, William & Mary Law School. 

2:45-3:00 p.m. Break

3:00-4:30 p.m. Indigenous AI Innovation: Frameworks and Models

Moderator

Steven Bender, Associate Dean for Planning and Strategic Initiatives and Professor of Law, Seattle University School of Law

Panelists

  • Rogelio E. Cardona-Rivera, Director, Laboratory for Quantitative Experience Design, Assistant Professor and Founding Faculty, Division of Games, The University of Utah 
  • Michael Running Wolf, Co-Founder and Lead Architect, First Languages AI Reality (Citizen, Northern Cheyenne Tribe)
  • Jeff Ward, Founder and CEO, Animikii (Member, Sandy Bay Ojibwe First Nation and Métis)