Native America Calling: Tribes confront resource-intensive drive of Artificial Intelligence

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Native America Calling: Tribes confront resource-intensive drive of Artificial Intelligence

Monday, July 21, 2025

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Tribes confront the resource-intensive drive to power AI

From finding simple recipes to diagnosing complicated illnesses, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly useful part of everyday life, but the space and resources it takes to power that technology is immense and that is hitting close to home for some tribes.

The Tonawanda Seneca Nation in New York just filed a lawsuit against a proposed 900,000-square-foot AI data center a mile away from their reservation. Chief Kenith Dale Jonathan says the center would harm air quality, water, and wildlife. [Press Release: Tonawanda Seneca Nation and Sierra Club File Litigation Challenging Environmental Review Process of Massive Data Center at STAMP]

Tune in to hear from the tribe and the potential for data center encroachment elsewhere. Also, take a look at how the Trump administration’s push to use AI in medicine would benefit or harm Native Americans.

Guests on Native America Calling

Christine Abrams (Tonawanda Seneca), office administrator for the Tonawanda Seneca Nation Council of Chiefs

Grandell “Bird” Logan (Tonawanda Seneca), media spokesperson for the Tonawanda Seneca Nation

Dr. Krystal Tsosie (Diné), assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University

Dr. David Wilson (Diné), associate vice president for health research and professor and chair of Indigenous Health at the University of North Dakota