Jason Edward Lewis

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Jason Edward Lewis is an artist and scholar of digital media. [1] [2] [3] He is Cherokee, was adopted into a white family, and is of Samoan and Hawaiian descent [4] [5] . Lewis explores how creative computation and artificial intelligence can sustain Indigenous cultures. [6] [7] [8] [9] He is Professor of Computation Arts at Concordia University, where he founded the Obx Laboratory for Experimental Media and co-directs the Indigenous Futures Research Centre, both of which focus on the intersection of Indigenous knowledge and digital media. [10]

Contents

Lewis completed undergraduate degrees in Symbolic Systems (B.Sc.) and German Studies (B.A.) at Stanford University and earned a Master of Philosophy in Design from the Royal College of Art. [11]

Career and research

Lewis develops scholarly and artistic projects that draw on digital media and Indigenous cultural principles. He is a lead researcher on the multi-year Abundant Intelligences program, which reframes artificial intelligence through Indigenous knowledge systems. [12] [13] [14]

Earlier, Lewis co-organized the Indigenous Protocol and AI workshops and contributed to its widely cited position paper on ethical AI development. [15] He also established Obx Labs and co-founded Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC), collaborative initiatives that combine art, storytelling, and software design to support Indigenous community-building in digital environments. [16]

Lewis’s creative works have been showcased at venues including Ars Electronica, ISEA, Elektra, SIGGRAPH, and the Hawaiian International Film Festival. [17] [18]

Awards and honors

Lewis received the inaugural Robert Coover Award for Best Work of Electronic Literature, [19] two Honorable Mentions from Prix Ars Electronica, and multiple awards from ImagineNative Film and Media Arts Festival. [20] He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada [21] and has held fellowships with the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation, and the MIT Open Documentary Lab. [22]

References

  1. ↑ Smyth, Rebecca (Winter 2016). "Jason Edward Lewis: The Indigenous Future Imaginary". Luma Quarterly. 1 (3). Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  2. ↑ Pascariu, Casiana (19 September 2021). "Computation, Philosophy, and Indigenous Futures: A Conversation with Jason Edward Lewis". EPIC - Ethnopraxis in Industry Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  3. ↑ "Jason Edward Lewis". The Walrus. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  4. ↑ Lewis, Jason (1990-11-13). "Living in a borderland". archives.stanforddaily.com. The Stanford Daily Archives.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ↑ Pascariu, Casiana (2021-09-19). "Computation, Philosophy, and Indigenous Futures: A Conversation with Jason Edward Lewis". EPIC.
  6. ↑ Schweitzer, Ivy; Henry, Gordon (2019). Afterlives of Indigenous archives : essays in honor of The Occom Circle. Hanover, New Hampshire: Dartmouth College Press. p. 234. ISBN   9781512603644.
  7. ↑ Spruce, Shawn (23 January 2023). "Indigenous interactions with artificial intelligence". Native America Calling. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  8. ↑ Sejbaek, Anna (1 October 2021). "Break the Digital Monoculture: Interview with Jason Edward Lewis". Digital Earth. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  9. ↑ McNamara, Rea (July 2020). "Skawennati Makes Space for Indigenous Representation and Sovereignty in the Virtual World of Second Life". Art in America. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  10. ↑ "Jason Edward Lewis, B.Sc., B.A., M.Phil". Concordia University. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  11. ↑ "Jason Edward Lewis". Initiative for Indigenous Futures. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  12. ↑ Lewis, Jason Edward (2024). "Abundant intelligences: placing AI within Indigenous knowledge frameworks". AI & Society. 40 (1): 2141–2157. doi: 10.1007/s00146-024-02099-4 . Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  13. ↑ "Making space for Indigenous AI". The Eastern Door. 17 January 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  14. ↑ "Local initiative seeks to bring Indigenous perspectives into the future of AI". Hawaiʻi Public Radio. 25 February 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  15. ↑ "Creating ethical AI from Indigenous perspectives". University of Alberta Folio. October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  16. ↑ "Computation, Philosophy, and Indigenous Futures: A Conversation with Jason Edward Lewis". EPIC. 19 September 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  17. ↑ "Concordia-led research program is indigenizing artificial intelligence". The Suburban. 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  18. ↑ "Indigenous Media Futures". Cultural Anthropology. 33 (2). 2018. doi: 10.14506/ca33.2.01 . Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  19. ↑ "Announcing winners of 1st Coover & Hayles Awards! – Electronic Literature Organization". 2014-06-21. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  20. ↑ "SAIO 50 for 50: Jason Edward Lewis". Stanford Native American Cultural Center. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  21. ↑ "Jason Lewis". Royal Society of Canada. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  22. ↑ "2014 Fellow Alumni Jason Edward Lewis". Fondation Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
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