Indigenous AI, Plant Communication & Community Power | Vancouver AI Community Meetup #21

- Join BC + AI: https://bc-ai.ca/membership/
- Next Vancouver AI meetup: https://luma.com/vancouver-ai
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We opened in a good way with Johnny Williams (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh) song, welcome, and a lived AI story: using models to surface cultural signals inside 200-page city plans so he can advise as a language keeper, not a PDF parser.

Then a video dispatch from Dave “Uncle Weed” Olson in Japan on archiving, kindness, and feeding our “helpful robots” good culture.

Community jams: Rival Technologies data-story hackathon (Round 4, music dataset), past winners Sev Kin / Matt Sinclair / Dean Chev; Mind AI & Consciousness deep-dive (quantum agency with guest Suzanne Gilbert); Elena’s “AI Beyond the Algorithm” at Northeastern; Metacreation Lab (SFU) update (AutoLoom; Ars Electronica mention); BCAI Discord launch with smart onboarding + permalinks.

Keynote: Manuel Axel Strain (Musqueam·Similkameen·Stó:lō) on Indigenous AI & plant communication—a call to co-build non-invasive sensing + taxonomies with Will so we can listen to trees ethically. Closer: AI Film Meetup (Oct 29) and a teased $20K video/photo hackathon coming in Nov.

We’re building ethical, open, place-rooted AI in BC. Join the work → bc-ai.net
With respect on the lands of the Musqueam, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and Tsleil-Waututh.
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What you’ll see

- Ceremony-led AI culture (language, song, protocol)
- Real workflows: policy PDFs → cultural advising with LLMs
- Community infrastructure: Discord, surveys, subgroups, sponsor ecosystem
- Indie keynote: Talking to Trees (sensors, signals, taxonomy, consent)
- Upcoming: AI Film, vertical video tools, creative tech jobs
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Want in?
🌀 Join the community: https://discord.gg/wQ6vuj7E
🗓️ Next events: https://lu.ma/vancouver-ai
🤝 Become a BC + AI member (nonprofit): https://bc-ai.ca/membership/
📥 Hackathon dataset & rules: https://github.com/WalksWithASwagger/vanai-hackathon-004
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About Vancouver AI
Welcome to Vancouver AI, part of the BC + AI grassroots ecosystem. We host monthly meetups, hackathons, and jams where developers, artists, researchers, and community leaders explore what it means to build human-first, ethical AI. Everyone’s welcome... whether you’re coding models, writing poems, or just curious about where AI is headed.
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About BC + AI
The BC + AI Ecosystem Association is Canada’s first community-powered AI association. We help businesses, institutions, and citizens navigate artificial intelligence through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Guided by principles of ethics, inclusivity, transparency, and sustainability, we champion AI that serves public good from climate resilience and healthcare equity to Indigenous language revitalization and creative expression.

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Credits
Host: Kris Krüg (@kriskrug)
Guests: Johnny Williams, Dave Olson, Julia & Dale (Rival), Dani (MAC group), Elena (Northeastern U.), Jesse (221A), Manuel Axel Strain, Will, Gabe Zara (Discord), Mr. Pixel Wizard (AI Film)
Community: Michelle & Victor (media), Carly Steinman, Matthew Schwartzman (Surrey AI), James Lester (Sons of Vancouver), Marius (Segev Law), Dmitri Schwartzman

#ai #bcai #vancouverai #indigenousai #squamish #language #consciousness #plantcommunication #communitytech #creativeai #film #hackathon #discord #mycelium