The Omega’s feature “What’s on the horAIzon for TRU?” by Olivia Dean (19 October 2026) examines Thompson Rivers University’s horAIzon initiative and how artificial intelligence relates to Indigenous knowledge, reconciliation and sustainability. It features Dr. Ghazanfar Latif, who leads AI for Health and Healing within TRU’s HorAIzon Presidential Initiative, alongside Indigenous community members.
In the interview, Dr. Latif discusses:
- Indigenous languages and knowledge: how AI could help preserve them by drawing on existing written materials such as research articles, blog posts and social media to build a virtual entity, so future generations could see and communicate with elders.
- Environmental questions: that there are not yet concrete solutions for managing excess heat from data centres, that a heat-transfer mechanism still has to be defined and will need engineering investment, that closed-loop cooling uses little water although water remains a long-term concern, and that Canada’s cool climate is an advantage.
The article also includes Indigenous community members’ views on consultation and on the limits of AI for land-based, oral and relational teaching.
Read the full article on The Omega →
Photo: Charles Rankin / The Omega.