Research by scientists from CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, working with Indigenous partner organisations have found that while artificial intelligence (AI) has potential to improve healthcare in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities its safe and effective use must be guided by Indigenous voices and knowledge.
CSIRO Research Scientist and lead author Dr Andrew Goodman, an Aboriginal man from Iningai Country in Western Queensland, said current frameworks for AI development and application tended to be overly general and insufficiently detailed in relation to cultural diversity.
"In Australia, this has resulted in a gap in understanding of how AI can serve Indigenous peoples," Dr Goodman said.
The Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare in Australian Indigenous Communities: Scoping Project to Explore Relevance engaged 53 leaders, clinicians, researchers, and health service providers across four workshops between 2023 and 2025 with the aim of addressing this gap.
"Although these are early findings, this report provides a critical starting point for how to build responsible AI systems in technology such as apps and data collection to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare outcomes," said Dr Goodman.
The consultations identified three critical priorities for responsible AI use in Indigenous health: building AI health literacy and cultural appropriateness by ensuring communities understand how AI works, what data it uses, and how it can support day-to-day care; protecting Indigenous data sovereignty by guaranteeing that health data is held, governed, and used under the custodianship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations; and supporting self-determination by placing Indigenous organisations at the centre of AI design, implementation, and oversight.
The findings underscore the importance of embedding cultural knowledge in the design of AI systems.
"If AI is to benefit our mob, it must reflect our voices, our data and our ways of knowing. Without Indigenous-led governance, there's a real risk that AI will perpetuate bias and repeat the mistakes of the past," said Dr Goodman.
Dr Jill Gallagher, a proud Gunditjmara woman from Western Victoria and chief executive of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), said the project marks an important shift in national conversations on digital health.
"We know that Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations can use AI as a powerful tool to support and strengthen their work, but it's imperative that our Mob
are in the driver's seat to ensure true self-determination," Dr Gallagher said.
The project was co-led by CSIRO's Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC) in partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS Brisbane), the Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Digital in Health (CEADH), and the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet.
The team is currently using the findings from the scoping project to co-design self-determined AI tools in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
The Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare in Australian Indigenous Communities report is available via the CSIRO website.
