Karen Colbert, an AI strategist, data scientist, and Lead Math Faculty at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, speaks with Pitt HexAI Producer, Brent Phillips about tribal colleges and their mission and vision to revitalize language and culture through education, the indigenization of math and teaching math, computing and data science in the AI age, collaboration tools, data sharing and privacy, explainability and storytelling, project ideation, AI applications, data annotation, and life lessons for students.

Karen Colbert is an AI strategist, data scientist, keynote speaker, and a nationally recognized advocate for STEM education. She currently serves as the General Education Department Chair and Lead Math Faculty at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, a Tribal College, where she advances data and computational literacy for Indigenous students. Notably, Karen became the first Data Carpentries Instructor and Trainer among all Tribal Colleges, pioneering efforts to bridge the digital divide in higher education. Her passion lies in ensuring that non-traditional, re-entry, and adult learners are not left behind in the AI revolution. Karen is passionate about sharing her insights on “digital sovereignty in the age of AI.” Specifically, she has a deep interest in exploring how AI is reshaping education, research, and opportunity, challenging educators to lead with cultural integrity as technology evolves.

She also has an upcoming book 'The Algorithm wasn't Built for Us: Reclaiming the Future of AI, Education, and Culture' available July 4 on Amazon. Visit her website: https://www.karencolbert.com/