By Corey Brown (Founder & Owner, Goanna Solutions)
Australia stands at a critical moment in the evolution of technology. Artificial Intelligence, automation, and digital systems are no longer future concepts, they are shaping the way businesses operate, how decisions are made, and how communities connect.
But as AI and emerging technologies accelerate, one truth becomes increasingly clear: Technology is not neutral. The systems that are being built reflect the perspectives, priorities, and biases of the people who design them.
For Indigenous Australians, who hold more than 65,000 years of knowledge, culture, and connection to Country, this presents both an opportunity and a risk. Ensuring that emerging technologies are shaped with inclusive, culturally grounded perspectives is essential to building a digital future that benefits all Australians.
1. Why cultural perspectives matter in technology
I believe technology shapes lives. It influences access to services, representation, privacy, identity, decision-making, and economic opportunity. When Indigenous perspectives are absent from the design process, the resulting systems often fail to reflect the values, lived experiences, and needs of Indigenous communities.
A history that cannot be ignored
Australian Indigenous communities have experienced decades of:
- Data misuse
- Exclusion from decision-making
- Policies implemented about them rather than with them
- Systemic disadvantage shaped by institutions rather than culture
This history shapes trust, and when new technologies like AI are introduced without Indigenous voices at the table, we risk repeating old mistakes with faster and greater consequences.
2. Technology is only as fair as the data behind it
AI learns from historical data, and if that data reflects inequality, bias, or misrepresentation, the AI will amplify it.
For Indigenous Australians, this is especially concerning:
- Underrepresentation in datasets can lead to inaccurate predictions or poor service delivery.
- Mislabelled or biased data can reinforce stereotypes.
- Automated decision-making can disproportionately affect Indigenous people in areas like health, justice, and employment.
This is why cultural governance over data, or Indigenous Data Sovereignty, is essential. It ensures:
- Data is collected ethically
- Communities understand how their information is used
- AI systems do not perpetuate historical inequity
- Benefits flow back to Indigenous people
3. Inclusivity strengthens innovation
Inclusivity is sometimes misunderstood as a compliance exercise. In reality, it is a powerful innovation driver.
Why inclusive AI is better AI:
- It represents more people accurately
- It leads to stronger, more ethical decision-making
- It reduces risk and increases trust
- It opens pathways for Indigenous-led innovation
- It embeds cultural intelligence into technology, not as an afterthought, but as a foundation
Indigenous perspectives bring a holistic worldview that values:
- Long-term thinking
- Community benefit
- Respect for knowledge and story
- Stewardship of resources
- Interconnected systems
These principles align naturally with responsible AI.
4. The Opportunity: Indigenous Australians as leaders in the future of technology
Emerging technologies offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity to:
- Address digital inequality
- Build Indigenous digital capability
- Support Indigenous-owned tech businesses
- Apply cultural knowledge to new forms of problem-solving
Indigenous leadership in AI and digital transformation is not only possible, it is essential. It ensures that new systems uplift, rather than disadvantage, communities.
Practical opportunities include:
- Culturally informed AI ethics frameworks
- Indigenous-led data governance and sovereignty models
- Education pathways that build digital literacy and STEM capability
- AI tools co-designed with Indigenous communities
- Partnerships between Indigenous businesses and tech providers
This is not about simply adding diversity, it is about embedding cultural strength into Australia’s digital backbone.
5. The Responsibility: Designing technology with, not for, Indigenous Communities
If Australia wants to build an AI future that is inclusive, fair, and trusted, then Indigenous Australians must be partners in every stage of the technology lifecycle:
- Problem definition
- Data collection
- System design
- Impact assessment
- Governance
- Ongoing oversight
This requires shifting from extraction to empowerment. From consultation to collaboration. From tokenism to genuine partnership.
As emerging technologies reshape Australia’s economic and social landscape, the most responsible thing we can do is ensure that Indigenous voices are not only included, they are centred.
6. Goanna’s Role in This Moment
Goanna Solutions sits at a unique intersection of technology, workforce development, and Indigenous empowerment. We are positioned to model what culturally informed digital transformation looks like in practice.
Goanna can play a national leadership role in:
- Advocating for culturally safe AI and technology systems
- Building pathways for Indigenous people into high-growth digital careers
- Supporting organisations to develop responsible, inclusive automation and AI strategies
- Ensuring Indigenous perspectives influence the future of Australia’s digital infrastructure
As AI reshapes our workplaces, our economies, and our communities, Goanna’s commitment to cultural integrity and inclusivity becomes not only relevant, but essential.
Conclusion: Technology should reflect everyone it serves
Emerging technologies will shape Australia’s future. The question is Will they shape that future fairly?
Indigenous Australians bring knowledge systems, values, and perspectives that the digital world desperately needs: connection, stewardship, long-term thinking, and community-led decision-making.
If we want to build AI that is safe, ethical, and genuinely beneficial, then inclusivity is not optional. It is the key to unlocking technology’s true potential.
A digital future that includes Indigenous voices is a stronger, wiser, and more equitable future for all Australians.