Leaders from the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC) are championing Indigenous Data Sovereignty at this year's Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) summit.

The five-day summit, held on the Gold Coast, embraced the theme 'Our Truth. Our Power. Our Future'. One of its key conferences focused on sustaining Indigenous Data Sovereignty.

Indigenous Data Sovereignty means that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have control over information collected about their communities, Country, cultures, and lives. Data should only be gathered or used with Indigenous leadership, consent, and clear benefits for the community.

At its core, Indigenous Data Sovereignty is about self-determination.

It gives communities the power to choose what information is collected, how it is interpreted, and whether it should be shared. AIATSIS supports this principle by following ethical research guidelines that prioritise Indigenous rights, cultural safety, and community authority.

AIATSIS CEO, Leonard Hill, said as the digital world rapidly evolves, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence, it is crucial that First Nations people can protect their culture and have a say in how their information is shared.

"As digital technologies advance, so does the volume and value of data about First Nations peoples, cultures, and languages. Indigenous Data Sovereignty ensures that this information is governed by the communities it comes from, no matter where it is held," Mr Hill said.

Nyikina man and KALACC board member, Richard Rose, said the organisation's work to preserve 60 different First Nations language groups highlights the need for Indigenous Data Sovereignty.

"One of the key issues for me is data and data sovereignty — making sure our recorded languages are kept, preserved, and managed by us, because language is our identity. It's our passport. Our passport is on our tongue," Mr Rose told National Indigenous Times.

Walmajarri and Wangkajungka man, and KALACC cultural advisor, James Brown, echoed the importance of language preservation. He said continuity in safeguarding culture is vital for future generations.

"I think it's about continuity — knowing where we are now, and how we move forward so our young people have stronger stories to build on," he said.