Jason Edward Lewis

Jason Edward Lewis is an artist and scholar of digital media.[1][2][3] Of Samoan and Hawaiian descent, Lewis explores how creative computation and artificial intelligence can sustain Indigenous cultures.[4][5][6][7] 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.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10][11][12]

Earlier, Lewis co-organized the Indigenous Protocol and AI workshops and contributed to its widely cited position paper on ethical AI development.[13] 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.[14]

Lewis’s creative works have been showcased at venues including Ars Electronica, ISEA, Elektra, SIGGRAPH, and the Hawaiian International Film Festival.[15][16]

Awards and honors

Lewis received the inaugural Robert Coover Award for Best Work of Electronic Literature,[17] two Honorable Mentions from Prix Ars Electronica, and multiple awards from ImagineNative Film and Media Arts Festival.[18] He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada[19] and has held fellowships with the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation, and the MIT Open Documentary Lab.[20]

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. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Spruce, Shawn (23 January 2023). "Indigenous interactions with artificial intelligence". Native America Calling. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  6. ^ Sejbaek, Anna (1 October 2021). "Break the Digital Monoculture: Interview with Jason Edward Lewis". Digital Earth. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Jason Edward Lewis, B.Sc., B.A., M.Phil". Concordia University. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Jason Edward Lewis". Initiative for Indigenous Futures. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Making space for Indigenous AI". The Eastern Door. 17 January 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  12. ^ "Local initiative seeks to bring Indigenous perspectives into the future of AI". Hawaiʻi Public Radio. 25 February 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  13. ^ "Creating ethical AI from Indigenous perspectives". University of Alberta Folio. October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  14. ^ "Computation, Philosophy, and Indigenous Futures: A Conversation with Jason Edward Lewis". EPIC. 19 September 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Concordia-led research program is indigenizing artificial intelligence". The Suburban. 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Indigenous Media Futures". Cultural Anthropology. 33 (2). 2018. doi:10.14506/ca33.2.01. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  17. ^ "Announcing winners of 1st Coover & Hayles Awards! – Electronic Literature Organization". 2014-06-21. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  18. ^ "SAIO 50 for 50: Jason Edward Lewis". Stanford Native American Cultural Center. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  19. ^ "Jason Lewis". Royal Society of Canada. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  20. ^ "2014 Fellow Alumni Jason Edward Lewis". Fondation Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
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