design systems that communities can understand and maintain, rather than relying on continued dependency on the outside world. IMPROVING PROCUREMENT The company’s latest and arguably most transformational product, Tender Hawk, was born out of direct, lived frustra- tion with systems that claimed to be open while remaining functionally inaccessible. Its creation was not the result of a sudden technological break- through, but rather years of watching Indigenous businesses repeatedly lose tender opportunities — not because they lacked capability, but because the procurement process itself was frag- mented and favoured those with staff, time and institutional familiarity. The modern Request for Proposal (RFP) landscape is a maze of portals and 16 A CCIB PUBLICATION Winter 2026 TECH LEADERS Excellence is custom-made, and custom-made is personal Our seasoned engineers can tackle a wide variety of projects, and we care enough to do it right. AI: INDIGENOUS FRIEND OR FOE? It’s no secret that artificial intelligence (AI) can have countless benefits for just about any business. However, there is also inherent risk involved. Steve O’Bomsawin, founder of IT consulting firm Asban, understands the risks, particularly when it concerns Indigenous data. He notes that most large AI models are trained on public data ecosystems where Indigenous voices are underrepresented or absent altogether. “AI is trained on the data that is online, and the data that is online is more often than not incomplete,” he explains. Without direct intervention, these models do not merely omit the Indigenous perspective — they amplify dominant narratives by default. In an era of misinformation and disinformation, this can quickly become disruptive. “People are more likely to accept false information coming out of AI,” O’Bomsawin says. “It’s up to us to make good use of it and to orient it in the direction we want it to go.” A central challenge O’Bomsawin identifies is cultural representation and subjectivity. Indigenous histories, structures and Knowledge Systems often resist singular interpretations, especially around primary and historical documents. In other words, they are subject to interpretation. Yet many AI systems are optimized to deliver definitive answers, and O’Bomsawin wants to see a broader approach. “If there are two different versions, then don’t pick one. Just give me both,” he says, adding that responsible AI should provide multiple perspectives where they exist, acknowledge disagreement, and avoid collapsing plural truths into a false consensus. It should be mirroring Indigenous Ways of Knowing. While O’Bomsawin acknowledges the imperfections and risks of AI, he also understands that refusing to integrate with new technology is not the way either. Responsible and managed use of AI at the intersection of technology and Indigenous Knowledge is the path forward. “We’re losing a bit of humanity, but at the same time, it’s about living with your era. Some things are going to be good, and some things are going to be bad,” he says. “Just make the best out of it and try to make it better in your own way.”
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