From human data cleaning centres in the Global South to AI companies’ ruthless race for resources, Karen Hao’s New York Times best-selling Empire of AI is a sobering read.

However, it ends on a note of hope. Right here in Aotearoa.

Hao introduces us to Te Hiku Media’s Peter-Lucas Jones (Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kahu) and Keoni Mahelona (Kanaka Māoli) and their groundbreaking use of AI technology to protect and revitalise tikanga and te reo Māori.

In stark contrast to Silicon Valley’s scale-at-all costs ethos, Te Hiku builds AI grounded in Māori data sovereignty – with consent, reciprocity and kaitiakitanga guiding every development stage.

They meet in person for the first time to discuss this ethical, community-led use of AI, and whether it holds the blueprint for a different kind of AI world.