MEDIA APPEARANCES
This AI Camp Is Teaching Teens to Preserve Their Lakota Language
In South Dakota, the Lakota AI Code Camp blends technology and tradition to preserve the Lakota language. Over three weeks, Native teens learn coding and AI by creating an app that records their language and culture. Co-founded by Mason Grimshaw and Michael Running Wolf, the camp empowers youth to see tech as a tool for reclamation and leadership.
Lakota Teens Train AI Models in Spearfish
At the Lakota AI Code Camp, students are discovering new possibilities for their futures. In three weeks, they learn coding, AI, and ethical design while building apps rooted in Lakota language and culture. For many, it’s their first glimpse into tech — and a powerful reminder that Indigenous youth belong at the table shaping the digital world.
Indigenous Youth Are Using Coding and AI to Save Native Language
At the Lakota AI Code Camp, students like Niesha Marshall are discovering that coding can be a path to cultural pride. In just three weeks, teens with little experience create AI projects rooted in Lakota knowledge—proving that Indigenous youth can lead in tech while honoring who they are. Each program sparks confidence, connection, and a vision for the future.
Lakota Code Camp: Native American Tech Leaders Bringing Native Youth Into AI Innovation
At the Lakota AI Code Camp, Native youth are proving what’s possible when inclusion meets innovation. Co-founded by data scientist Mason Grimshaw, the camp gives students hands-on experience in AI while centering culture and community. Their success challenges the lack of diversity in tech and shows that the future of AI is stronger when Indigenous voices lead.
Lakota AI Code Camp
Each summer in the Black Hills, Lakota teens dive into code and culture at the Lakota AI Code Camp. Over three weeks, students learn Python, data science, and AI while building FLAIR—an app that helps keep Lakota language alive when elders aren’t nearby. With hikes, plant ID projects, evening language classes, and college-readiness support, campers leave with skills, laptops, and a clear path into tech—and the confidence they belong there.
Indigenizing Artificial Intelligence and Programming
At the Lakota AI Code Camp, Indigenous teens like Niesha Marshall and Xavier LaPointe are learning to code while reconnecting with culture. In just three weeks, students build AI projects that speak Lakota, identify plants, and preserve traditional knowledge. For many, it’s more than coding—it’s a journey of pride, friendship, and reclaiming their place in tech and language revitalization.
Lakota Youth & AI: Bringing AI from Silicon Valley to the Black Hills
Lakota data scientist Mason Grimshaw highlights the need for Indigenous voices in AI. Through the Lakota AI Code Camp, he engages Native youth in coding and data science while grounding learning in culture and community. Raised on the Rosebud Reservation and MIT-educated, Mason’s work bridges technology and tradition to ensure AI serves everyone.
Training Lakota youth to be the future of AI Coding
At the first Lakota AI Code Camp, seven Lakota teens stepped into the world of coding, AI, and app design—building tools that connect technology with language and culture. Guided by Indigenous technologists, students created apps that recognize plants and teach Lakota words. As they learned to code, they also learned confidence, teamwork, and the power of seeing themselves as the future of tech.